Reviews: American Record Guide An apt coupling, beautifully executed and fortunately not recorded with the instruments shoved forcefully into our ear canals. The Eaken Trio has garnered praise from several quarters; and violist Esmilla, now returned to his homeland in the Philippines, blends most effectively with the mellow tones of the ensemble. No doubt, part of the pleasure here is the acoustic of the home of Edwin Dunlap in Mount Gretna, PA, where this was recorded. With so many recent chamber recordings causing aural fatigue, this is free of the stress and strain of trying too hard for hi-fi perfection. The performances are perfectly lovely. The group is a little more laid-back than usual. They sparkle, but in a natural way, preferring to let the music speaker them without pushing things too much. Gloria Whitney plays a 1929 Steinway D, at first sounding a little like a fortepiano. I can see where some might prefer a slicker presentation, perhaps with stronger accents and a more forward acoustic. But this is most refreshing, always intensely musical. The uncredited notes are decent. This should be investigated by anyone who values the art of chamber playing and the music of Brahms and Schumann. Becker - American Record Guide San Francisco Sentinel 5 July 2010 This recently released CD by the Eaken Piano Trio and guest violist Joseph Esmilla glows with passion and musical excellence. The recording features Robert Schumann’s Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47 and Johannes Brahms Quartet in G minor, Op 25. The Grammy nominated artists of the Eaken Trio – violinist John Eaken, cellist Andrew Rammon, and pianist Gloria Whitney – reach new and brilliant heights in this fine recording engineered by Timothy Breon. The showy and challenging Andante Cantabile (track 3) of the Schumann Quartet is exquisitely rendered. The Trio – now a fine quartet with Esmilla – captures the romance and drama of Brahms’ Andante con moto (track 6) which then leads to the fiery and all-out climax of the fourth movement, the Rondo alla Zingarese. The musicianship, vitality and charm sustained within these two beloved sets released by Con Brio Recordings make Eaken Trio + 1 a must-have for lovers of chamber music. Grammy-nominated recording artists, Eaken Piano Trio will celebrate their 25th year of successful seasons of critically acclaimed concert appearances during the 2011-2012 concert season. They are known performers across the United States, Europe, and Canada. A return tour to Europe is scheduled for 2011, when they will be concertizing in Italy, Germany and France. Unanimously noted for their enthusiastic performances and innovative audience-building residencies, the ensemble has numerous commercial recordings in addition to their newest CD, EAKEN TRIO + 1 on Con Brio Recordings. The group is heard regularly on classical music radio including National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and “Performance Today”. They have been the recipient of many commissions including trios written for them by Lalo Shifrin of Mission Impossible fame, Gerald Shipiro, Timothy Greatbatch and others. In 2010, they will be premiering works by composers Mike Garson and Allen Menton. By Seán Martinfield - 
Sentinel Editor and Publisher "…the performances on this new CD are unquestionably of a high professional caliber…" Fanfare Magazine Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47 by Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) Schumann began writing the Op. 47 Quartet on October 24, 1842 and completed it within a month. He played the work with friends in December of the same year but did not publish it until 1845. As a tribute, it heralds back to the chamber music of Beethoven with its straightforward sonata-formed first movement, a Beethoven-like scherzo for the second, a slow third movement in song form (A-B-A), and a fugue driven rondo finale. Throughout this work, Schumann is writing at his very best, and the greatness and sincerity of the music comes through at every turn. He opens the first movement with a simple chorale that rises and falls only one step and then as it breaks out into a full allegro, the second part of that opening reappears as the first theme unfolding into one of the most fluid movements in all of Schumann’s music. The second movement scherzo has two trio sections and Schumann destroys the bar line in both to keep the listener on the edge. This technic makes the two trios even more exciting and drama filled as we only get the musical relief of knowing where the down beats are when the scherzo returns at the end. The third movement features one of the most beautiful songs in all chamber music literature, introduced first by the cello and then shared by all other players. This movement also includes many other compositional technics including a low B-flat pedal tone (the cello re-tunes its lowest string down) under staccato scales in the violin and viola. At another point, when the viola has the melody, the violin plays an obligato that becomes the thematic material for the last movement. The finale has it all; a fugue introduced by the viola, a rondo where the main theme returns in different guises, and hints of other themes from other movements give the whole work a tremendous sense of balance. A rousing coda at the end of the movement develops all of the earlier material as it builds to an exciting finish. Piano Quartet in g minor, Op. 25 by Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) Brahms composed the Piano Quartet in g minor in 1861 and played the piano part at its premier with the Helmsberger Quartet in Hamburg on November 16, 1862. Of his twenty-four chamber music works, this is one of his most dramatic with its wide palate of tone colors and sonorities. The long first movement has an orchestral sweep and is as fully developed as many of his largest works. Brahms titled the second movement as an intermezzo rather than a scherzo - and it really does spill out of the bounds of most chamber music scherzos that seem restrained by comparison to the excitement and exuberance of this movement. The slow third movement is a beautiful romantic song that builds from its march-like interlude to a glorious climax. The finale is one of Brahms’ most sparkling works. The movement’s title ‘Rondo alla Zingarese’ reveals its gypsy character. Before the first performance of the Quartet, Brahms sent it to his closest mentors, Clara Schumann and the violinist Joseph Joachim for their approval. Joachim had reservations about the expansive opening movement but praised the other three, saying of the finale: “You have inflicted a heavy defeat on me, on my own territory (referring to his own Hungarian roots), and I would wish that my somewhat arrogant countrymen will soon be convinced of the spiritual superiority of the Germans! They would then cheerfully submit to the inevitable, and be happy to have their mother-tongue acknowledged”. The Eaken Piano Trio with Joseph Esmilla, viola With the support and encouragement of our dear friend, Edwin Dunlap, The Eaken Piano Trio is presenting the 1842 Piano Quartet by Robert Schumann and the 1861 Piano Quartet by Johannes Brahms on this recording. The Trio performed these works with Joseph Esmilla seventeen times during their 2007-2008 concert season before Joseph left the United States to live in his homeland, the Philippines. Mr. Esmilla started violin at age five with his father Sergio Z. Esmilla Jr. At fourteen, he was granted a scholarship at the Juilliard School where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees under the tutelage of Dorothy DeLay, Masao Kawasaki and Jens Ellerman. He participated in summer festivals and programs such as Aspen, CO and Salzburg, Austria, where he was chosen to play the Tchaikovsky violin concerto for the culminating concert. Mr. Esmilla has been a featured soloist with the Manila Symphony, Philippine Philharmonic and Manila Chamber orchestras and has performed extensively as a recitalist and chamber musician in the Philippines, USA, Germany, Austria, Malaysia and South Korea. The Eaken Trio has been touring in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia for over two decades. In June of 2006 they presented concerts for the Pennsylvania Ambassadors of Music in Venice, Verona, Milan, Lucerne, Munich, Strasbourg and Paris. In the spring of 2008 they toured China with concerts in Beijing, Xian, Zhenjiang and Shanghai. The Grammy Nominated ensemble is heard regularly on classical music radio including National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and “Performance Today”. The Trio is featured in two separate hour long holiday programs to raise awareness of homelessness in America which are broadcast on over one hundred fifty Public Radio stations each Christmas. In June of 2009, WVIA Radio in Scranton, PA produced an hour long live concert and interview with the Eaken Trio broadcast on National Public Radio for the 2009-2010 season. Recorded at the home of Edwin Dunlap, Mount Gretna, PA Piano: 1929 Steinway D Engineer: Timothy Breon Recorder: Alesis HD24 Microphones: Earthworks, AKG, Audio Technica Produced by Timothy Breon and John Eaken Mastered by: Ed Hollcraft, Carol Greenley Cover photo: Bill Hench, Carlisle PA