Haydn: Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 5

Piano Trio No. 22 in A major, Op. 42 No. 1, Hob. XV: 9; Piano Trio No. 6 in F major, Hob. XV: 40; Piano Trio No. 5 in G minor, Hob. XV: 1; Piano Trio No. 44 in E major, Op. 86 No. 2, Hob. XV: 28; Helena Winkelman: Threesome in a High-den

Trio Gaspard: Jonian Ilias Kadesha violin; Vashti Mimosa Hunter cello; Nicholas Rimmer piano.

Chandos CHAN 20367
Chandos.net

Trio Gaspard continues to set exacting standards in its ongoing Haydn Piano Trio cycle, and Volume 5 shows no sign of any slippage. The disc opens with Trio No 22 in a mesmerising performance — articulate, beautifully phrased and lightly inflected, each player contributing musicianship of the highest order. The playing is expressive, sensitive, and stylistically perceptive; the ensemble's chemistry is as solid as ever, and the communication between the three musicians is instinctive and entirely natural.

The group's admirable practice of commissioning new works to complement the Haydn series continues here with the world première recording of Helena Winkelman's Threesome in a High-den — a piano trio she describes as an homage to Joseph Haydn, drawing particularly on the Trio in E major, Hob. XV: 28. Winkelman hooks the listener from the outset, and Trio Gaspard despatches the work with flair and considerable technical assurance. The finale, wickedly titled Pay'd in Wine and Other Esterházy Scandals, takes its cue from the colourful goings-on at the palace, where Haydn spent so much of his career. Across ten engaging minutes, this is a thoughtful, well-crafted and quietly witty piece that makes for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the disc.

Trio Gaspard, founded in 2010 by musicians from Germany, Greece, and the UK—all alumni of the European Chamber Music Academy in Vienna—has established itself as one of the most admired young chamber ensembles of its generation. Haydn has been a key part of their performances from the start, and the group's unique way of arranging the pieces — choosing trios for variety instead of sticking to a strict order — always works well. This is another excellent instalment.