‘That bass line was meant to sound gruff! These semiquavers scatter effortlessly in the upper register.’ Pianist Jan Rautio offers a defence of the decision to play Beethoven on the fortepiano in the booklet notes to this, the first volume of a projected Beethoven cycle from the Rautio Piano Trio. In truth, however, their performances of these two Op 1 Trios make his case from the very first chord. It just sounds right: crisp, purposeful, with a percussive keyboard kick in the bass, and recorded in an acoustic that suggests a sense of scale. Beethoven’s Op 1 Trios are hardly heaven-stormers but they’re the first steps on the greatest of all musical journeys, and the Rautio Piano Trio evoke that promise of grandeur without sacrificing any of the youthful humour of these two delightful works.

The Rautios have previously recorded the Ghost Trio on modern instruments: Andrew Farach-Colton (3/18) heard ‘classical poise, deftness and textural clarity’. The same applies in these period-instrument interpretations – but there’s also that earthy, spring-loaded fortepiano left hand, and an overall balance that allows all three instruments to slip effortlessly in and out of the foreground. There’s a flashing verve in the Scherzo of Trio No 1; a conspiratorial wit to the corresponding movement in Trio No 2; and overall, a sense of play that never precludes a broader sense of the music’s form. It sparkles, but never scrambles.

True, I’d have liked more lyricism from Rautio in the two slow movements, but bear with it: cellist Victoria Simonsen and (in particular) violinist Jane Gordon tease out their melodies with an unforced, slow-burn eloquence, warmed by little touches of vibrato. ‘Perhaps this won’t change your life, but it could make it more interesting’, says Rautio. I’d say he’s selling himself short.