Having settled in Canada in 1971, that excellent pianist Valerie Tryon has been absent for too long from the British catalogue, and I was glad to see that LS described her playing in the April 1993 issue as ''distinguished... with the utmost refinement of keyboard colour''. Yet that disc was a Debussy song recital for Unicorn-Kanchana, while here, performing for Dorian, she is one of a trio, and I hope that those of us who know her principally as a fine, well-established soloist will soon be rewarded with solo recordings. Enough of that: this new recording with the Rembrandt Trio deserves a welcome in its own right and also offers good sound.
Chaminade's Trio No. 1 is not currently in the catalogue, and proves to be an attractive piece, though hardly a compelling one: Saint-Saens (or even Massenet) without the genius, you might say, if you will allow the attribution of genius to those composers in the first place. These artists present it persuasively, however, and the Presto leggiero scherzo is a delight. The genuine Saint-Saens that follows is also excellent value, written before his thirtieth birthday but already showing mastery as well as much Gallic elegance. Compared to either of these pieces, Ravel's Trio is an epic work, no longer than the Saint-Saens but infinitely grander in feeling, yet without the grandiloquence that afflicted some other French composers including Berlioz and Messiaen. Furthermore, each movement has something different to say that adds to the whole, whereas with the other composers everything is blandly similar. Unfortunately, this performance lacks elan and delicate magic. Nevertheless, it remains serviceable and the disc is worth exploring for its survey of the French repertory.'