Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8

“No other ensemble in my experience captures this despairing sense of being overwhelmed by expressive needs as powerfully as does the Trio Wanderer. Not even Copland’s own reading [of Vitebsk] has this level of intensity and commitment...In all ways, a magnificent release.” International Record Review

“Gritton cop[es] with the turbulent high-lying opening verses [of Gamayun] before shading her voice to deliver the chilling final lines...The Florestan judges its performances extremely well...The players maintain a raw, nervy quality - this is playing close to the edge...Highly recommended.” International Record Review, April 2011

“Usually heard in 19th-century repertoire, the Trio close their recording career with typical panache...There is nothing Russian about Susan Gritton’s soprano but her English colouring still lets in plenty of heat. Superb playing throughout; they will be missed.” The Times, 30th April 2011 ****

“The Florestan Trio performs with terrific presence, precision, immediacy and palpable atmosphere. They delve beneath the surface to find and project the nuances of expression that lend these works their special flavour of soul searching.” The Telegraph, 28th April 2011 *****

“Gritton sings [the Romances] beautifully, and the Florestans dig deep to reveal the secrets of this bleak and deeply moving music.” Sunday Times, 8th May 2011 ****

“perhaps the most striking aspect of their beautifully engineered performance of the Second Trio is the surprisingly fast speeds that they adopt for the outer movements and the Passacaglia...The Florestans fully capture the youthful ardour and impetuosity of the First Trio. They are in equally inspired form in the Seven Blok Romances providig mesmerising and powerfully etched accompaniments to Susan Gritton's achingly beautiful singing.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2011 ****/*

“In the Romances, Susan Gritton is very much part of the ensemble. The command of a constantly modulated dynamic and expressive life [sic] is admirable: and I like her singing for its true, centred tone, coloured by the Russian words and impeccably controlled.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011

“this is a disc we're going to be talking about for a long time. The Florestans make a watertight case that the Piano Trio No. 1 was alive already to the possibilities of abrupt jump-cuts between sincere lyricism and savage distortions, while the Second Piano Trio seems to hallucinate on its past lives...an intriguing choice of repertoire is played with meticulous cre for structural balance, the music's expressive soul and its timbral suppleness.” Classic FM Magazine, July 2011 *****

“The Boulanger Trio play sensitively and nimbly, both [in the Vasks] and in the two Shostakovich trios, where most of the obvious traps (into which a number of its rivals fall) are neatly sidestepped. However, the colouristic range is comparatively muted, phrasing and characterisation lack the edge these works demand and rhythmic stability in the Finale of the Second Trio comes and goes” Gramophone Magazine, February 2013