SERGEI TANEYEV (1856-1915): String Trio in D, Trio for 2 Violins and Viola in D, Op. 21, Piano Trio in D, Op. 22, String Trio in E Flat, Op. 31.

Description: Taneyev, among many other accomplishments, literally "wrote the book" on counterpoint and his favorite genre was that of a small chamber ensemble where his polyphonically oriented muse could balance voices and timbres of instruments similar to human voices. The string trios (the D Major from 1880, Op. 21 fom 1907 and Op. 31 from 1911) are melodic and charming while being thematically rigorous in an almost Mozartian way while the large-scale, 40-minute piano trio of 1908 is much better known, comparable in effect to his string quartets, and has a very difficult piano part. 2 CDs. NOTE: These are not factory-manufactured CDs; they are CD-Rs and some older CD players (you know your equipment!) may have problems reading them. Taneyev Quartet, Tamara Fidler (piano).