Beaux Arts at 50

It's rare for any chamber music group to remain in business a full half-century, but that's how long the Beaux Arts Trio—violin, cello, and piano—have been performing the masterworks of such composers as Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert. This affectionate tribute centers around a 2005 recital at Indiana University in Bloomington celebrating the group's remarkable 50th anniversary. Not surprisingly, the members aren't the same as in 1955—the string positions have passed through several hands—but pianist Menahem Pressler, who's on the Bloomington faculty, has been a permanent fixture, and while his playing may not be quite as fleet and sensitive today, performers half his age would still be hard pressed to equal his neat and nimble touch, and Pressler's younger colleagues Daniel Hope and Antonio Meneses match him superbly. The hour-long Beaux Arts at 50 features excerpts from the recital, interspersed with comments from the players regarding rehearsal techniques and performance goals, as well as occasional glances back at the group's long history. The bountiful DVD extras include the complete 2005 concert (including Beethoven's “Ghost” and “Archduke” trios), a monochrome version of the encore, archival video of an earlier version of the Beaux Arts (with violinist Isidore Cohen and cellist Bernard Greenhouse joining Pressler) playing the Ravel piano trio, and a biography of the Beaux Arts (including personnel changes over the years). Presented in Dolby Digital 5.0, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)