The Mozart Trio are more generous with repeats of first movement expositions than the Cummings Trio. But unlike their predecessors they don't include the second trio that Beethoven wrote for the Scherzo of the G major work after its publication. As for recorded sound, the new Denon product struck me as the more true to life, true enough even to pick up a few intakes of breath as well as instrumental surface noises. The Cummings Trio emerge rather more synthetic in quality on their Unicorn-Kanchana label, especially in the resonance of Rosslyn Hill Chapel where they recorded the D major and C minor works.
There is plenty to enjoy in the playing of the Mozart Trio, especially in Op. 9 No. 3, where as Denis Matthews once put it, ''the key of C minor unleashed a creative daemon'' in the composer. In general, though, I thought their characterization less potent than that of their rivals. Even in the C minor Trio's Adagio con espressione their fastish tempo (from them the movement is a minute shorter) just stops them from getting to the music's innermost heart. The opening Allegretto of the D major work brings a still bigger divergence of tempo. Whereas the Cummings team choose a relaxed crotchet = 84 (though they quicken it when excitement mounts), the Mozart Trio prefer a swifter crotchet = 120 from the outset, which, though skilfully maintained, doesn't allow them to make quite so much of Beethoven's contrasts. It was nevertheless in dynamics rather more than tempo that the newcomers often disappointed me. The Cummings Trio respond so much more vividly to the composer's every gradation, big or small, sudden sforzandos, sudden pianissimos, and the like. And always there is more intensity at moments of climax. The ending of the D major Trio's slow movement is particularly revealing in this respect. There were one or two places in this same work where I also thought the newcomers' balance not quite so good as that of their rivals, who never for a moment allow your ear to be in the wrong place.
In sum, I think that with their higher voltage the Cummings Trio are the more likely to win converts to this comparatively unfamiliar music. But if you already know and love your early Beethoven, well then you could be happy enough with the Mozart Trio's special blend of fluency and discretion.'