The Leonore Piano Trio’s latest record for Hyperion, a disc of richly melodic piano trios by Woldemar Bargiel, has once again received excellent critical reception, displaying “exquisite sensitivity”, “a radiant inner glow” , and “graceful, urbane playing and flowing lyricism”, bringing to life these “bafflingly neglected works”. The full reviews can be read below.
"The Leonore Trio is an outstanding ensemble, whose previous releases for Hyperion have all been enthusiastically received...pianist Tim Horton, violinist Benjamin Nabarro and cellist Gemma Rosefield balance Bargiel's middle-register-dominated textures with such exquisite sensitivity and timing there is never any hint of overbalancing. This is music that by its very nature requires gentle coaxing and affectionate warmth to sound its best, and the Leonore responds with playing that possesses a radiant inner glow. Indeed, it is difficult to imagien this music played more captivatingly, captured in beguilingly natural sound by Andrew Keener and David Hinitt" Julian Haylock, BBC Music Magazine - performance ***** recording *****
"The greater pleasure of this recording is the playing of the Leonore Trio...Gemma Rosefield's soaring cello in the second movement of Trio No. 2 is a delight, violinist Benjamin Nabarro's violin is forthright and impassioned, while Tim Horton, who certainly has his work cut out, pushes the narrative forwards with dexterity and not a little stamina. But it is the way these three talented musicians blend together that merits the largest bouquet. More please! The piano trio being such a popular medium in the 19th century, there is yet a huge forgotten repertoire waiting to be explored" Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone
"Two bafflingly neglected piano trios in gloriously vibrant performances. If you’ve ever wished there was more chamber music to discover by Brahms and Robert Schumann, this is a real treat" Erica Jeal, The Guardian
"In his First Trio the Leonore players bring out the mystery of the Adagio introduction and move into the surging and restless Allegro energico with vibrant tone and close attention to Bargiel's many accents, triumphantly punching out the dotted rhythms... graceful, urbane playing and flowing lyricism...There is turbulence in the opening of the E flat major Trio, to which the Leonore Trio responds with almost exaggerated phrase-shaping, the whole first movement unfolding with a grand, urgent sweep." Tim Homfray, The Strad
"Delightful and diverting listening...Whether noble, sparkling or deeply expressive, Bargiel has the means and methods to sustain his engaging creativity that withstands scrutiny and repetition, and here enjoys the services of the interactive Leonore Piano Trio, for Tim Horton (piano), Benjamin Nabarro (violin) & Gemma Rosefield relish the music’s tunefulness and emotions and make a great team...This Andrew Keener-produced, David Hinitt-engineered and Peter Avis-annotated release is a winner: music we may not be familiar with but can be damn glad to now have the opportunity to enjoy it, on Hyperion" ColinsColumn.com
The disc is their eighth for Hyperion, and the Leonore Piano Trio’s hugely successful series of discs championing little-known but highly-regarded composers – previous releases include discs of works by Henry Charles Litolff, Anton Arensky, Edouard Lalo, Johann Peter Pixis, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Taneyev, and two discs of works by Sir Hubert Parry in honour of the composer’s centenary. The Leonore Piano Trio have received wide admiration for their authoritative and highly convincing interpretations of such repertoire, and have frequently been awarded four- and five-star reviews for their advocacy, energy, and distinguished interpretations.
More information on the disc can be found here, and the Leonore Trio's full discography for Hyperion can be found here. More information about the Leonore Piano Trio can be found here.
