A well-contrasted programme of late Haydn piano trios in sympathetic performances makes for a tempting proposition. I particularly enjoyed the Fontenay in the expansive opening movements of Nos. 18 and 30, generously and flexibly paced and imaginatively phrased, with the players finding fresh colours and nuances for the exposition repeats. Slow movements, too, are done broadly and expressively, with much emphasis on the long legato line. The A minor Andante of No. 18 is gravely ruminative (the Vienna Piano Trio on Nimbus are, typically, lighter and more mobile here); and the players bring a brooding intensity to the glorious, deep-toned Andante con moto of No. 30. With textures more democratic than is usual in Haydn’s trios, this movement also gains from the relatively forward placing of the strings compared with the rival Beaux Arts version (from their complete set on Philips), where eloquent violin and cello lines tend to be dominated by keyboard figuration.
Some may feel that the Fontenay over-romanticize the Poco adagio of the Gipsy Trio, with their dangerously expansive tempo (taking 6'48'' to the Vienna Trio’s naturally flowing 5'13'') and molto espressivo phrasing. In the Trio’s famous rondo they play fast and loose with the tempo in their striving for an authentic zingarese flavour, where the Viennese group’s less extreme fluctuations sound more instinctive and idiomatic. Nor do the Fontenay quite catch the bold, alfresco exuberance of No. 21’s opening Vivace assai or the finales of Nos. 18 and 30 – crisper staccatos and a more pungent kick to the rhythms, heard on both rival versions, would have helped here. But if the Fontenay seem more attuned to Haydn’s inwardness and lyricism than to his animal spirits, there’s much to savour in these affectionate, thoughtfully characterized readings, truthfully captured by Teldec’s engineers.'