Name recognition gives this album its place in Sony's Masterworks Expanded Edition, but celebrity alone does not guarantee satisfactory artistic results. Three musical chums with extraordinary skills and ample expressive resources,
Richard Stoltzman,
Yo-Yo Ma, and
Emanuel Ax ought to play these trios for clarinet, cello, and piano with polished musicianship and a high degree of bonhomie. Of course, coordination and cooperation are essential to successful chamber performances, yet this is where the group falls apart. Sticking out most glaringly is
Stoltzman, who dominates
Brahms' Trio in A minor through gushing dynamics, excessive vibrato, and a gooey tone. Except for the finale, where they at last assert themselves,
Ax and
Ma take on a supportive role and give
Stoltzman too much room to spread around his oleaginous sound.
Beethoven's and
Mozart's trios have more evenly distributed parts and provide fewer opportunities for
Stoltzman to steal the show. Even so, there are few conversational exchanges and frequent imbalances of sound;
Ax and
Stoltzman take turns at showing off their technical prowess, but
Ma is the weakest participant, except in his assigned solos. The live bonus track of
Mozart's Sonata in B flat for bassoon and cello, performed abrasively by Alexander Heller and
Ma, adds no value to this disappointing CD.