One reason why the recordings by Thibaud, Cortot and Casals have such a wonderful freshness is that the players came together once a year for a holiday and practice before giving just one or two concerts. So, although they had played together for over 20 years before Fred Gaisberg persuaded them to make records, their deep mutual understanding was not tarnished by routine. And in an age where we talk of great record producers it is worth mentioning Gaisberg's much simpler methods. He would try to create the most relaxed and comfortable conditions possible in the studio, and having agreed the 78rpm side breaks he would simply let his artists play as they would at a concert, with as little interference as possible. By 1926, when they recorded the Schubert Trio, all three players were highly experienced recordmakers, and despite the breaks their playing has the spontaneity and intimacy of a private occasion given for the players' own enjoyment. Everything about this performance and that of the Archduke Trio, recorded two years later, seems just right. There are other right ways to play these works, of course, but as you listen to Thibaud, Cortot and Casals their deep experience and love of the music carries total conviction. That was the way the music went, and that was the way they played it.
I wish to goodness that I didn't have to make any reservation about this issue, but there is just one. The Schubert Trio sounds well, since the 78s were remarkably clear and full-bodied for their date. The Beethoven set is less successful, for in this instance the unnamed transfer engineers have striven for optimum clarity at the expense of tonal warmth. The result is a rather glassy, aggressive sound, with some distortion, which soon tires the ear.'