In some key respects this is a satisfying programme though first impressions were unfavourably deceptive with a rather foursquare delivery of the F minor Trio’s dramatic opening and a recorded balance that seemed, initially, unduly biased in favour of the piano. Things soon settle down for a strong performance of the F minor that takes the influence of Brahms as its starting-point (a general impression) rather than forging an especially strong connection with the music’s folk-dance element, which is always present at some level in the music: perhaps that’s why the Allegro grazioso Scherzo comes off least well. Odd, this, given that of the two performances the one that struck me as the more memorable was the largely rustic Dumky Trio with its moody alternations between sultry slow music and frisky Czech dance motifs. I like the “lived in” feel that pianist Martino Tirimo brings to both works, his expressive generosity with certain chords and an invariable sense of rhapsodic improvisation. Beam up 5'26" into the second “Dumka” and note the rapt way he accompanies Ben Sayevich’s gently engaging violin-playing. The effect is of mellowness, introspection and warmth, whereas throughout the work the many faster episodes rarely want for spirit.

The recorded sound is marginally more forward than I would have liked, and I was especially glad to hear Daniel Veis’s cello properly balanced. As to principal CD rivalry, the Suk Trio (Supraphon, 8/88) parades a keener sense of locality and more distinctive string-playing (as do Heifetz and friends, if you can find them) and the Florestans (Hyperion, 1/97) are rather more subtle; but you could never accuse the Rosamunde Trio of lacking either weight or scale and I would recommend sampling their CD for those qualities alone.