The Bekova Sisters originate from Kazakh-stan, were trained in Moscow and made their Western debut here just over a decade ago. Since then they have recorded most of the piano trio repertoire, especially Brahms, Franck and the Russians. This is a fascinating release because it brings their expertise into British and American territory. Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) needs less and less introduction as her handful of works gets increasingly performed. The Piano Trio (1923) is a remarkable achievement, passionate, inventive and atmospheric. Like Britten and his teacher Frank Bridge, whom she knew well, Clarke played the viola and so understood chamber music from the inside. It shows. The three-movement work is consistently fascinating in its interrelated themes across the movements including a spectral fanfare which appears at 1'04'' and 7'45'' in the first movement and ecstatically in the piano cadenza at 5'15'' in the finale. Clarke’s intense moods are often created by her advanced harmony, derived from Scriabin, which she uses to qualify her soaring melodies. The result is close to Bridge but still personal.
A bonus here is the first recording of Midsummer Moon (1924), a sensuous incantation for violin and piano. And then a surprise is the Ives Piano Trio, not otherwise available in the British catalogue. The Bekovas are fully alert to his eccentric world and his stunts. The first movement has a section for cello and piano; then one for violin and piano; and then these two are combined. The title of the scherzo announces that it’s a joke – a crazy mishmash of quoted tunes inimitably swung around. The finale is serious, ending mystically with Rock of Ages. All this comes through with complete conviction and excellent teamwork from the Bekova Sisters, justifying the pairing of two composers who were once neglected. Well recorded and balanced too.'