Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 8 in E flat major, WoO 38

“warmly played by the Gould Trio, who are particularly sensitive to the lyrical minuet-like third movement of [Op. 70 No. 2]...the Goudl Trio's playing is unfailingly musical...All fine performances, in first-class sound.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2013 ****

“The charm of WoO38 is persuasively conveyed, with the group playing up thje work's galant origins. Their conversational ease in the opening movement works well...There are more dramatic readings of these works around but these performances are unfailingly musicianly” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013

“The Gould Piano Trio, established players in this repertoire, prove masterly: nimble, agile and intense.” The Observer, 2nd December 2012

“The Florestan Trio seems determined to extract every last ounce of energy, wit and spirit from these early works. Op 1 No 2's finale, for example, fizzes along; all Beethoven's surprising inventions and transformations grab our attention, and the whole piece is evidently as much fun to play as to listen to.
The principal vehicle for conveying the music's brightness and verve is Susan Tomes's fingerwork, wonderfully precise and rhythmical, though Anthony Marwood and Richard Lester also play with fine spirit and character. The two Op 1 slow movements are taken at flowing speeds, and allow for some relaxation of mood – Marwood's entry at the start of No 2's Largo is particularly poetic – but it's the bouncy, extrovert character of the Allegros and Prestos that leaves the strongest impression.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010