Given the paucity of modern repertoire for piano trio, it is no surprise that Martinů’s four works for this combination have repeatedly received attention. There have, though, been relatively few complete surveys over the years, perhaps down to the equivocal attitude of performers, critics and audiences to a composer too often labelled unintelligently as a neo-classical note-spinner. As Martin≤ has begun to shake off this stigma and gain more gradual acceptance from the wider public, this newcomer is only the second cycle of two to be generally available (the Bekovas having excluded the Bergerettes of 1939), both of them set down in the past three years. Although its members are all based in the USA as individuals, the Arbor Trio originally came together in the Czech Republic; so, as repertoire, Martin≤ is home-away-from-home. Their accounts are well prepared and vivid, their choice of tempi consistently slower than all their rivals, except for the Bekovas in the slow movements. In their own terms, the Arbor Trio’s readings make sense – less wilful than the Chandos group and broadly of a piece with the Kinsky Trio. At times their view of allegro moderato, a tempo indication common to all three numbered trios, risks losing impulsion, and their rivals fairly generally have a stronger sense of pulse.

The biggest drawback of this Naxos issue lies in the players’ intonation; at best this is edgy, but in slower, high-pitched passages it borders on the painful. Compare their account of almost any movement with the Kinsky (a sweet-toned trio, for sure) or the Schubert Ensemble in No 3 and you will hear the difference. With so many better-tuned versions available, whether individually or as a cycle, the Arbor Trio’s, sadly, are ones to avoid.