The Florestan Trio delivers an ardent, sharply honed performance of Mendelssohn’s popular D minor trio that easily stands among the catalog’s numerous first-rate versions. The hair-trigger dynamic adjustments and linear clarity in these renditions particularly gain from Susan Tomes’ dazzling negotiation of the composer’s cascading runs and arpeggios with little recourse to the sustain pedal. The group’s rhetorical inflections in the slow movement contrast to the Abegg Trio’s more austere classicism, while some listeners may find violinist Anthony Marwood’s vibrato in the climaxes a bit much.
Similar high standards and astute attention to detail distinguish the Florestan’s work in the C minor trio, although the Abegg’s volatile dynamism and cumulative drive better address the composer’s respective “fuoco” and “appassionato” for the outer movements. While this disc may not displace your favorite Mendelssohn trio couplings–mine include the Vienna Piano Trio and Trio Fontenay, along with the aforementioned Abeggs–its strong sonic and interpretive virtues merit serious consideration.
