These… splendid works… bridge the gap between Hummel's early teacher Mozart, and Mendelssohn, whom Hummel briefly taught in turn, and show classical restraint, Italian lyricism and great clarity of texture. Matching violin and cello provide strongly differentiated yet complementary voices, helped by depth in the recorded perspective, with piano just behind the strings. ...the colours and distinctive 'voices' of Voces Intimae are a revelation.

Unlike most of Hummel's chamber works the piano trios are relatively well covered on disc – not surprising when they offer such a free flow of attractive ideas. The difference in this new cycle is that the players use period instruments and there is a positive advantage in a having a light and slightly twangy fortepiano in place of a modern concert grand. So in the second-movement Andante of the First Trio, the transition from the pizzicato arpeggios on the cello at the start to similar figuration from the fortepiano, a restored instrument of 1815, is much more winningly integrated in this lively performance.
The interplay between the players is a delight.
Those who resist period instruments may find that the bright tone of the violin with little vibrato is a shade aggressive but the vigour of the performances is magnetic. The lightness of touch of this antique fortepiano allows Richard Cecchetti to play with phenomenal clarity of articulation even in the fastest movements, such as the Presto finale of No 1.
What makes the Voces Intimae performances even more sparkling than the excellent ones from the Beaux Arts Trio from the late 1990s (Philips) is that, playing at speeds generally a shade less extreme in fast movements, they have more room for expressive pointing and phrasing, giving shape to passages that might otherwise seem hectic. That is so in the witty finale of No 3 – in a sort of polka rhythm which sounds like an ancestor of a Gilbert and Sullivan patter song – and in the finale of No 7.
Anyone wanting to sample before investing in the complete cycle should plump for the second disc whose four compact works are likely to quickly charm. The forward recording is admirably clear and full.