Reissiger Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 1 - a good start

The Trio Anima Mundi are quite talented musicians. And quite ambitious. Carl Gottlieb Reissiger wrote 27 piano trios throughout his career. And they're not insubstantial works. 

Volume one features two early trios, each running around 30 minutes in length. So this is volume one of about 13 or so?

Reissiger was a pivotal figure in 19th Century Germany. As Kapellmeister to the Dresden Court, he made the city a major musical center. Reissiger reshaped the orchestra into a world-class ensemble. As director of the Dresden Opera, he programmed the best and the newest works. He was an early supporter of Wagner.

In his lifetime, Reissinger's music was extremely popular. He was in demand as a conductor, a composer, and a teacher. After his death, he virtually vanished from music history. 

His music was considered old-fashioned and unoriginal. Well, recordings like this let us judge for ourselves. 

This volume features Reissinger's first and fourth piano trios, from 1824 and 1829. Despite their lengths, these trios are well-written and well-organized pieces of music. 

The trios remind me of Mendelssohn. There's clarity and straightforward simplicity at work here. And I personally found it appealing, and not derivative at all. 

The Trio Anima Mundi delivers some sensitive readings. They keep the music light and transparent. Robert Schumann wrote "if one wants to learn to compose confidently and authentically in the trio style, take Reissiger’s latest trios as a model." I don't disagree. There's a lot to like here. On to volume 2!

Carl Gottlieb Reissiger: Complete Piano Trios, Volume One
Trio Anima Mundi
Toccata Classics TOCC0267