Haydn: Piano Trio No. 39 in G major, Hob.XV:25 'Gypsy'

“…American soprano Julie Kaufmann is a persuasive advocate of both folksongs and canzonettas.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2009

“Supported by outstandingly vivid sound, Trio Wanderer give marvellously exhilarating performances. The players encompass all the wit and passion of these inspired compositions written during Haydn's two visits to London.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 *****

“Music whose profundity is still not fully acknowledged, but surely irresistible when performed with such flair and imagination.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2002 Critics' Choice

“This is an auspicious start to what will presumably be a far-reaching series. There are more than 30 Haydn piano trios to choose from, and the Florestan's flexible personality brings life to this group of four of them, all composed in London in the 1790s. Their character ranges from the gravity and intensity of the D major Hob XV:24 to the mix of melancholy and virtuosity in the F sharp minor Hob XV:26. As always with Haydn's music, there are subtle shifts of mood, nuances of phrasing and inflections of dynamics.” The Telegraph, 12th February 2009

“Domestic music-making in the late 18th century featured Haydn's "accompanied sonatas", designed to show off the newly popular piano with violin and cello doubling - and occasionally countering - the piano "soloist". (Contemporary advertisements in the Observer show the sheet music sold for three shillings.) Four of his later examples, including the familiar "Gypsy Rondo", are played here by the Florestan Trio with a captivating grace that silences those who would have us believe that these sonatas, which lack the independent part writing of later trios, are somehow lesser works.” The Observer, 15th February 2009

“These are altogether lively and alert performances, with repeats imaginatively varied, and a real feel for the subtle balance of the music.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 ****

“The articulation of Susan Tomes and her colleagues is alert and imaginative, with a “period-instrumental” feeling for texture, effortlessly capturing Haydn’s mercurial wit.” Sunday Times, 22nd February 2009 *****

“…Tomes and her partners identify themselves fully with the emotional scale of these works, ostensibly meant for domestic use on small pianos. The noise-quelling opening chord of No 24 would have stopped rowdy audiences of the day in their tracks. There is so much from the Florestan to stop us in our tracks too... Their interpretative acumen is unimpeachable. ...this is a very special disc, recorded in detailed, front-row sound.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2009

“Tomes and her partners identify themselves fully with the emotional scale of these works, ostensibly meant for domestic use on small pianos.
But their scope suggests that Haydn structured them for the powerful English Broadwood instruments suited to the concert hall. The noise-quelling opening chord of No 24 would have stopped rowdy audiences of the day in their tracks.
There is so much from the Florestan to stop us in our tracks too, not least in their feel for expressing the content of these sparsely marked scores, as in the finale of No 24 when Allegro madolce in D major changes to a stabbing D minor before returning to the original key. The musicians intuitively recreate the return even more sweetly. Their interpretative acumen is unimpeachable.
The continuous triplets in the Adagio of No 26, tiresome if badly played, are instead profoundly yielding. And the Presto finale of No 27 isn't driven on cruise control.
A very special disc, recorded in detailed, frontrow sound.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“the Florestan Trio play with understanding and sympathy to each other and to the music. Their lines of phrase are smoothly satisfying, Tomes deals with the difficult piano passages with ease, and Marwood and Lester's instruments sing with conviction when the music allows, and elegantly support when the piano is centre stage.” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 3rd March 2009

“wonderfully fresh and appealing, alive, full of subtle detail and indeed joy in the music. They are vividly yet truthfully recorded.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“the Kungsbacka’s playing ensures all four trios bear witness to the variety, personality and sparkling invention that Haydn channelled into this delightful and multifaceted music.” The Telegraph, 21st July 2011 ****

“The piano leads brightly, the violin seems a little recessive, and the cello supports well: a sequence of superb music which leaves one wanting more of the series.” The Observer, 21st August 2011

“It's only to be hoped that the Kungsbackas Trio's survey of this somewhat neglected tranche of Haydn's output means to go on as it starts...what matters is the music; and any group that is willing to take it seriously is guaranteed to reap the dividends...The Kungsbackas need fear nothing in comparison [with landmark versions]” Gramophone Magazine, January 2012

“The Gypsy Trio, No 25, may have been written in and for London, but this ensemble's short, snappy bowing, stomping piano accents and instinctive fluctuations of tempo and pulse in the finale, locate the work in the grape-treading, Romany heart of the Burgenland. The steps of the dance shape and pervade the E-flat Trio, too, in the jaunty rhythms of the opening Allegretto, and the boisterous and cross-accented Allemande of its finale. Among countless delights in these bold performances is the sensitivity to the power of silence, and the short, hushed half-tones within the long-breathed lines of the Andante of the A-major Trio. And, not least, the perceptive understanding and judgement of the shifting qualities of an Allegro which so well supports the structure of the outer movements of the D-major, as well as enabling many a clearly articulated yet fanciful variation in the Gipsy Trio. These recordings are close, sometimes breathy, always thrillingly true.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Among countless other delights in these bold and addictive performances is the sensitivity to the power of silence, and the short, hushed half-tones within the long-breathed lines of the Andante of the A major Trio. And, not least, the perceptive understanding and judgement of the shifting qualities of an Allegro which so well supports the structure of the outer movements of the D major, as well as enabling many a clearly articulated yet fanciful variation in the Gipsy Trio.” Gramophone Magazine