Beaux Arts Trio - Rorem: Spring Music / Baker: Roots II / Rochberg: Piano Trio No. 3 (1994)

This is a very rare gathering of American piano trios, each of which significantly adds to the repertoire of 20th-century chamber music. Rorem's Spring Music (1990) is an intimate yet energetic encounter with both tonality and atonality, affectionately played by the Beaux Arts group. Baker's Roots II (1992) is a five-movement suite with hints of the composer's African musical roots: here you will find intimations of jazz, blues, ragtime, spirituals, calypso, field hollers, and work songs. Rochberg's Summer 1990 is his Piano Trio No. 3. It's a heartfelt work based on a trip he made to Russia in 1990. Good stuff here. -- Paul Cook