Strauss’s chamber music output for strings is such that there aren’t many obvious programming combinations. As a result, this isn’t the first time that the early Piano Quartet (completed in 1885) has been coupled with the string septet version of Metamorphosen (1945) – here described as arranged by Rudolf Leopold, although it’s more correctly his realisation of an early draft of the work.

One hardly needs elaborate on what a chronological gulf lies between the two works, and one would be forgiven for not recognising the quartet as a work by Strauss at all: although he’d found his voice in several songs by this stage, his purely instrumental works remained somewhat anonymous. In the first movement one hears the obvious influence of Brahms in music that sweeps along enthusiastically and passionately. In the Scherzo we have Mendelssohnian sprites with bite. The Andante has some beautiful melodic writing but sounds to my ears more like top-drawer salon music than Strauss. The finale is arguably the most adventurous movement but doesn’t really add up to its parts. Despite slightly reverberant recorded sound, the Trio Arnold and pianist Nathanaël Gouin lavish plenty of verve and style on the piece but can’t hide the work’s faults – or the fact that, at over 40 minutes, it could have benefited from being a good 10 minutes shorter.

What a different world with Metamorphosen, whose 27 minutes (in this account) convey such depths. And this is a very fine performance, too: patient, beautifully woven together and impeccably played, with rich tone and long lines. Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be paid is that it makes an eloquent case for hearing this pared-down version of the work.

The Nash ensemble might still have the edge in this coupling – especially for the extra refinement they bring to the Quartet – but the Arnold Trio and friends are well worth hearing.