Beethen, Dahl and Fibich

Beethoven Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost"; Dahl Concerto a tre for Clarinet, Violin and Cello; Fibich Quintet for Violin, Clarinet, Horn, Cello and Piano, Op. 42 (1896); James Campbell, clarinet; William Purvis, French horn; Harumi Rhodes, violin; Ronald Thomas, cello; Mihae Lee, piano; Beethoven's "Ghost" Trio for piano, violin and cello takes its name from the uncanny atmosphere produced by the constant tremolos in its slow movement, though no ghosts can be heard amongst the boisterous metric obfuscation and comic composition of the outer movements. The playful Concerto a tre by Ingolf Dahl is an unabashed tour de force and an unrelenting high-spirited workout for all three musicians, borrowing elements freely and unselfconsciously - from Copland's languid, haunting intervals to Stravinsky's unmistakable idiomatic and rhythmic vernacular. Rediscovered only in the 1980s, the Quintet for Violin, Clarinet, Horn, Cello and Piano by Fibich, a Czech composer as famous as Smetana and Dvorak in his day, is a hidden gem of unusual and stunning tonal effects.