At first glance, this might seem a bizarre programme, until one appreciates the make-up of The Backman Trio, comprising Finnish violinist Frida Backman and British pianist Marcus Andrews and cellist Ruth Beedham. Their focus is on early piano trio works in the four composers’ catalogues, not least because only Bridge produced a mature Trio with his Second – and what a piece!

Only Bridge’s First Trio (1907) is included, the Phantasie in C minor which won the 1907 Cobbett Prize, and The Backman Trio give an engaging and passionate account of it, worthy of comparison with any of their rivals – all coupled with the Second Trio – listed below while not displacing any. Occasionally there is edginess to their intonation, though ensemble is tight. It is a similar story with Ireland’s A minor Trio (1906), beaten by the Bridge to the Cobbett Prize, earnestly and attractively played here but not really seriously challenging the competition.

The main attraction for collectors in this disc will be the premiere recording of the early Piano Trio (1939) by Erik Bergman (1911-2006). It is an apprentice piece with no trace of the keen pioneering spirit heard in almost every bar of his mature choral works or the Op 98 String Quartet, at one time available on Finlandia (7/86). The Trio has an appealing late-Romantic atmosphere and is as uncharacteristic of its creator as the Korpo Trio of Sibelius, of which I am a fan. The Backman’s account is considerably slower than its BIS rival and not to its benefit. The little Andantino and Allegro come off better. Nice sound for a fascinating disc.