Talk:Piano Trio No.1, Op.8 (Brahms, Johannes)

It's wonderful to see the score of the original version (1853/54). I've been searching for a recording of this work but, alas, the "Commercial Recordings" section is entirely unhelpful as it doesn't tell which of the two versions is being used in a recording. Amazon actually carries two commercial recordings of the 1853/54 version: by Trio Parnassus and the Altenberg Trio Wien, respectively. Now since I'm going to buy it through Amazon, it'd be good if part of my money goes to IMSLP.

It's a pity that the "Commercial Recordings" section is not more helpful. (Another instance is Schumann's Beethoven Variations, where the section contains a bogus link to an Alfred Brendel album that doesn't even contain the work, completely ignoring Ragna Schirmer's recording which was released in 2006 on the Edel label.) I'm sure IMSLP has thousands of fans - even more when you include the countless lurkers who just browse and download, and it has help keep up the passion for music and instill it in new audiences. This is valuable enough to the music business in better times, and especially so when records sales are only a fraction of what they used to be. A better integration with e-commerce sites such as Amazon will generate many interesting user discussions of not just commercial recordings, but also the sources from which recordings are made: the music itself. This will eventually prove mutually beneficial to both IMSLP itself and any commercial partners. It could even improve IMSLP's revenue generated from referral sales. But it's only possible when the links to commercial recordings are accurate and more comprehensive.

at least when the recording is hosted right here, one can tell in the first few seconds, since the 1st version differs already by bar 6 (violin entry in version 1 that doesn't exist in version 2). Still, as with Schumann's 4th symphony (1841 and 1851 versions), I'm guessing- guessing anyway- that if a recording doesn't announce that it's of the original, very rarely recorded version (here much more rarely recorded than Schumann's first thoughts on his 4th symphony), then one can guess that it's probably the later. (Subjectively speaking as someone who somewhat prefers the earlier version of the Schumann and much prefers the later version of the Brahms- though one does miss the theme he dropped from the finale especially... ah well.- well- erm.) MacDonald in his book on Brahms has very, very interesting material, I think, on the development of this trio. Eric 17:43, 7 August 2011 (UTC)