Hot on the heels of the Wanderer’s complete set of trios comes the first volume from the Gould Trio, captured live at St George’s, Bristol, last October. It’s a fine recording (and a very quiet audience, until they break into applause), balancing the strings further forwards in the mix than in the Wanderer set. Presumably because it comes from a concert, the Gould have chosen a varied programme rather than a chronological approach, which makes for compelling listening.

They strike a fine balance, offering playing that is characterful but not unduly interventionist, for instance in the opening movement of the Ghost or in the lithe Scherzo of Op 1 No 2, though in this latter movement the Florestan are even more sparky in their interplay. The Gould’s tempo for the opening of the same trio’s slow movement is arguably dangerously spacious (though it is marked Largo), but I did find Lucy Gould’s violin-playing very persuasive. The Wanderer and Florestan make life slightly easier for themselves at a slightly faster speed. The delightful finale is finely managed. This trio think very much as an ensemble; some groups take greater risks, one individual firing off another, not least the Beaux Arts, who are very compelling here. The Gould judge the extraordinary build-up in the slow movement of the Ghost very finely, though for sheer atmosphere the period-instrument Staier/Sepec/Queyras version is unsurpassed.

The beautiful Allegretto, WoO39, is a lovely addition. The Gould revel in its beauties more than the Wanderer (who I found light on charm, though admittedly their tempo is probably more authentic). The Op 44 Variations cry out for an approach that balances charm and sparkle. The Wanderer made a particularly persuasive case for them and from the outset they find more latent energy in the theme than the Gould. But, taken as a whole, this is a fine and musicianly start to the Gould’s Beethoven cycle.