The defiant opening bars of the C minor Trio, Op. 101 constitute a brand of musical confrontation that's rare even in Brahms, and if it doesn't root you to the spot, then the performers are usually to blame. The young Vienna Piano Trio's account is eminently sane, sensible and civilized, but it's also rather lacking in the sort of the muscle and fibre needed for this boldly disruptive music. However, things do improve later on, where pianist Stefan Mendl's bright, ringing tone resonates happily within the generous acoustic of the Festetich Castle in Budapest and his collaborators offer him warm-textured support. I also like the soft, pensive mood of the ensuing Presto non assai: but, again, the finale is rather lightweight.
The 'doubtful' A major work is a real curio, and it was indeed enterprising of Naxos to programme it as part of their Brahms piano trio cycle. The manuscript (written in the hand of an unknown copyist) was discovered as late as 1924, and remained unpublished until 1938. Although structurally sound and thematically appealing, the Trio fails to match the power of gesture that even its nearest contemporary, the B major Trio, Op. 8 (in its somewhat discursive 1854 'original' version), proclaims in such abundance. Prompted to comment on the work, the distinguished Brahmsian Calum MacDonald recently told me that he is inclined to think of it as a reaction to the excesses of the original Op. 8; and I'd say that if it is in fact by Brahms, then it's probably best appreciated as part of a limbering-up process that eventually led to greater things, i.e. Op. 87 (Op. 8's revision) and the C minor masterpiece included as a coupling on the present disc.
The performance itself is, like its CD companion, bland, personable and airily recorded, but for a really compelling statement of the score, one that might convince you of its authenticity (and that also includes repeats not played on the present recording), I'd be inclined to turn to the Odeon Trio, whose closely recorded, three-CD survey of the complete Brahms trios also incorporates the original 1854 version of Op. 8 (a real rarity) plus the Viola Trio, Op. 114. As a second (and far cheaper) option, there is the Beaux Arts' 1960s recording (now on Philips Duo with the more familiar 1889 revision of Op. 8 included as part of the complete cycle), while this new Naxos CD provides an inexpensive, cleanly played and fairly well-recorded third option.'