Having greatly enjoyed the Brahms piano trios as played by these artists plus Gautier Capuçon I was keen to hear this disc – and I wasn’t disappointed. Capuçon and Angelich make a wonderfully well-matched team, with a command of genuine rubato (pressing forward in order to make room for subsequent holding back) that gives a truly authentic impression. Each detail of the music is expressively convincing: I sense that it’s a priority for Angelich and Capuçon to feel the music. This can lead them sometimes to go against Brahms’s expressed intentions. The theme at 3’18” in the first movement of Op 78 (track 1) is marked to be in tempo (after a ritardando) but here the speed suddenly becomes faster, the dynamic much louder than the written pianissimo. Similarly, in the Presto agitato finale of Op 108 the quieter passages are taken more slowly – Frank and Serkin show how it’s possible to find the right style for all the mysterious or cantabile sections without letting the onward momentum falter, as Capuçon and Angelich do.

I’d stress, however, that these are occasional lapses. Overall the performances are beautifully considered, tending towards an expansive, romantic view of Brahms, but with a care for balance and proportion. The FAE Scherzo, for example, has all the necessary youthful exuberance, but it’s coupled with a fine feeling for balance between the parts and for rhythmic character. And, throughout, there’s a magnificent sense of line: Capuçon plays the great G-string melodies in Op 108’s Adagio and Op 100’s finale with rich, opulent sound but his vibrato is never too prominent – the most important thing is the shape of the melody.