Schumann: Fantasiestücke in A minor for Piano Trio, Op. 88

“there are so many praiseworthy things. The way these musicians approach Schumann's long spans of rhythmically repetitive writing shows such understanding and sensitivity that you forget there was ever a problem to be solved. There are some very memorable touches here, like the ghostly string tone at the heart of the first movement of the First Trio.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2011 ***

“Andsnes and the Tetzlaff siblings adopt a restrained approach that works most convincingly in Schumann’s songful slow movements...there is rapport here.” Sunday Times, 15th May 2011 ***

“as you would expect from such fine musicians, they make a formidably competent trio. Their playing of all the works here is technically beyond criticism, and there is plenty to admire, whether it's Andsnes's crystalline delicacy in the slow movements or the way in which the two string players can reduce their tone to the merest whisper for dramatic effect.” The Guardian, 19th May 2011 ***

“So what makes this so special? First, the pianist: Leif Ove Andsnes has long been acclaimed for his Schumann...It's not just for their dramatic pacing that I treasure these performances but for their lyrical qualities too...in the 'Duett' from the Op. 88 Fantasiestücke I defy you to find more beauty and understanding bewteen two string players, with Andsnes the most sensitive of supporting artists...a remarkable achievement.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011

“[Christian Tetzlaff's] strong personality and unmistakeable sound - plangent, witty and often lightly ironic - can seem quite dominant. But Andsnes's sparkling, solid and good-natured pianism is his ideal foil and on the whole the three play as if with one mind. In their hands Schumann emerges as blazingly inspired.” Classic FM Magazine, July 2011 *****

‘Revelatory performances from the Florestan. Excellently recorded, this welcome disc should win all three works a new lease of life’ (Gramophone)

“After their 1999 Gramophone Award-winning disc of the first two piano trios, these players champion three works which are less frequently encountered in concert, proving once again how a revelatory interpretation can make us all think again.
The G minor Piano Trio (No 3) of 1851 suffers from over-repetitive, at times perfunctory, rhythmic patterning. But thanks to the mercurial vitality and the spontaneous response to every passing innuendo from all three interwoven voices, not a note here sounds unmotivated.
The three fanciful 1842 miniatures for piano trio (revised under the title of Fantasiestücke in 1849) have long been criticised for the dominance of the keyboard in all but the third, entitled 'Duet'. Susan Tomes makes no attempt to disguise this.
Last but not least, the Piano Quartet of 1842, long overshadowed by the much-loved Piano Quintet. Misha Donat's appreciative note reminds us that even the loyal Clara waited some seven years before taking it into her repertory.
The piano is rarely silent, and mustn't be allowed to dominate; so praise goes to Susan Tomes for a keen ear for balance. The Scherzo has a Mendelssohnian, elfin fleetness, and the finale (surely Schumann's ne plus ultra in exhilarating contrapuntal ingenuity) an exemplary textural clarity. The slow movement, played with touching simplicity, speaks as eloquently as any of the composer's Clara-inspired lovesongs.
Excellently recorded, this welcome disc should win all three works a new lease of life.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The Swiss Piano Trio’s bold opening sets the scene for a highly charged account … the players’ technical excellence emcompasses a tonal weight without ever compromising the required inner transparency…The sound quality is superb” The Strad, March 2013

“Argerich is a pianistic marvel, effortlessly dispensing tumultuous energy and temperament, but this ensemble lacks interpretative and recorded focus.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2012 ****

“The young ensemble...perform superbly. Schumann’s E flat Piano Quartet, every bit as wonderful as his Piano Quintet in that key, and rendered with a bubbling brilliance, gives place with a certain frisson to piano and baritone sonority for the earlier of the two Liederkreis song cycles, heart-touchingly eloquent.” Sunday Times, 30th January 2011 ***

“Ludlow has a beautiful bass-baritone voice and excellent diction. He sings these songs with intelligence and a fine sense of drama, well matched by Tong...Perhaps the best performance on this disc is the Fantasiestücke...The playing at the start of the second piece is particularly beautiful, the answering cello and violin phrases given with a lovely unforced eloquence, sensitively supported by the piano.” International Record Review