Schumann: Piano Trio No. 3 in G minor, Op. 110

“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 *****

“Cellist Dmitry Kouzov joins Gringolts and his pianist Peter Laul, his slightly acidic tone an interesting foil to Gringolts' honeyed sound. The balance is unusually even-handed, leading to sensory overload in the dense melodic effusion of the third Trio. Though some tempi are cautious, this is stylish and thoughtful musicianship.” The Independent on Sunday, 24th April 2011

“The success of the present artist in clarifying Schumann's chamber sonorities without 'over-cleaning the painting' is considerable, though it has a dark underside that is itself positive. The 'underside' consists of the way in which they make the listener understand the instrinsic nature of Schumann's often less than transparent textures, whereby its attendant problems are not so much 'solved' as clearly represented.” International Record Review, May 2011

“These three players would seem to view the trios primarily as inward works, a conversation between friends...Thus these performances are most effective in the less extrovert parts of the music.” Gramophone 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

“The Voces Intimae players provide admirable insight and character, making the most of both the music's drama and its lyrical warmth. On the debit side, Schumann's ritardandos cry out for more expansive treatment than they generally receive here. The recorded sound is as impressive as the playing itself.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2012 *****

“at no time in these splendidly robust, passionate and lyrical performances is there so much as a hint of pious antiquarianism...these are not only born but practised conversationalists. They give us nothing but Schumann in all his abundant spiritual honesty.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2010 *****