The restrained emotionalism of the Fauré D minor Piano Trio was well caught. This is music of considerable hidden depths and the players explored its secrets well, cellist Alice Neary ‘s rich-toned opening solo taking us beguilingly into the composer’s unique sound-world. The slow movement’s singing lines were expressively projected and there was a real sense of release in the far more extrovert finale, played with tremendous attack.

After the interval a real contrast, music of unrestrained feeling, Tchaikowsky’s two –movement Trio in A minor. This is a real marathon for the players and can be for the audience, but not on this occasion. The Goulds effectively communicated all the strengths of this unwieldy (and some would argue uneven) work and constantly held our attention throughout its fifty minute discourse.

The hero of the performance was pianist Benjamin Frith. With the piano lid fully open he negotiated his concerto-like part with total assurance, without ever threatening to drown his partners yet never seeming to underplay his contribution; a remarkable achievement. The string players entered fully into the dramatic spirit of the music, whether it was languorous, turbulent or folk-like in that uniquely Russian manner; the long sad coda to the first movement affectively done.

The extended second movement’s variations were superbly characterized and throughout, Lucy Gould’s violin-playing was a joy, especially in the more reflective moments such as her muted solo in the ninth variation. Cellist and violinist showed powerful unanimity in the many octave and unison passages, never more so than at the end when the work’s opening theme returns in grandiose triple forte. The final bars are sombre but the audience response was deservedly noisy and enthusiastic.

Geoffrey Kinder