Five stars in the Swedish HiFi Magazine "HiFi & Musik" (No. 7-8 2007)

WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Hermann Berens - The Three String Trios

Trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinen

Cecilia Zilliacus, violin
Johanna Persson, viola
Kati Raitinen, cello

Herman Berens (1826-1880)

...A composer’s posthumous importance can also be measured in the number of recordings, which in Berens case amount to three 78s, all recorded prior to the First World War. There are two versions of the drinking song from En sommarnattsdröm (A Summer Night’s Dream), created in 1856 by his employer of the moment, theatre manager Edvard Stjernström, and an aria from Riccardo. The latter had seven performances at the Stockholm Opera during the spring 1869. Certainly not a strong argument for a second look, but still worth naming in order to appreciate the importance of the modern recording the reader holds.
 Behold then these three fresh, melodious trios for violin, viola and cello, all composed in the summer 1871 and shortly thereafter published in Hamburg and Leipzig as Opus 85 and finally reprinted in 1977. Should they not raise their composer Hermann Johann Berens from being seen as thoroughly dispensable into a completely new light?
 The first of these trios is in D Major and has been characterised by Docent Marin Tegen as “a superb piece of chamber music with a well-worked movement in the tradition of Schumann/Spohr.” And in the context he takes the opportunity to remind the reader of Berens’ sparkling piano improvisation on a song by A.F. Lindblad nearly on level with Liszt (Op 87), the masterly Allegro appassionata for piano (Op 67) and the mature string quartet (Op 78) that “holds its place well between Berwald and Stenhammar.” ....

From the CD comments by Carl-Gunnar Åhlén.

"Romantic chamber music in the tradition of Mendelssohn and Schumann"

Trio Op. 85 No. 1 in D major  I Allegro vivace 8’20 II Andante maestoso  8’35 III Allegro non troppo 2’44 IV Rondo - Finale (Allegro non troppo) 6’48 Trio Op. 85 No. 2 in C minor  I Allegro agitato 7’45 II Andante con moto  6’18 III Allegro patetico 3’27 IV Finale (Allegro vivace) 6’33 Trio Op. 85 No. 3 in F Major  I Allegro 10’13 II Andante 8’32 III Allegro scherzando 5’40 IV Allegro vivace e con brio 6’56 TT : 82’23

NOTE! - The playing length of the CD is over 80 minutes, this might make it unplayable on certain older CD & DVD players!