If ever there were an example of an immature work whose revival does no service to the composer's reputation, it is Debussy's Piano Trio of 1880—at least that is its date according to the booklet note with this issue, while Grove has c. 1879. It is clear from this music that the great composer's style was as yet unformed, although there are certainly foretastes of the kind of writing we find in, say the piano Suite bergamasque of a decade later. When we consider that Debussy only found his fully personal voice at that later time, and above all in the orchestral Prelude a L'apresmidi d'un faune (1894), we may well feel that this Trio is a mere curiosity, although of course a valuable one for the earnest attentions of musicologists. One is inevitably reminded of Tchaikovsky's reaction when Madame von Meck sent him her young pianist-protege's Danse bohemienne of 1880, in other words this same stage of his development, which was that ''nothing is developed and the form is bungled''. Having said all this, one would hardly deny that this Trio is fluent and agreeable, and it has a certain freshness which will attract some listeners. Furthermore, the curmudgeonly views above should probably be tempered by the reflection that even immature and inferior Debussy is doubtless worth the accessibility given it in this pleasant performance.
But is dangerous to follow an apprentice piece with a masterpiece. Ravel's wonderful Trio was composed when he was twice the the age of Debussy when he wrote the former work, which it cannot help showing up, and one can only imagine Debussy's horrified embarrassment if he were cruelly forced to meet the two pieces in sequence as here. The Ravel is given a performance of freshness, sensitivity and passion that I enjoyed very much. The famous account by the Beaux Arts Trio on Philips is one that has universally and rightly been adjudged very fine, even if occasionally points are made a little obviously. But even with that as a reference point of quality, I would be happy to lvie with this one by a gifted young German-Austrian ensemble. What marvellous music this is! The recording throughout is warm and agreeable if a little too bassy.'