It was very wise to programme Reger's masterly Op 102 E-minor Trio before its B-minor predecessor. Unsuspecting listeners who jump straight in at Op 2 will discover a pleasing if discursive piece, forged in the shadow of Brahms, with an opening Allegro appassionato which, although half the length of its disc- companion's first movement, seems twice as long. The Scherzo is frumpish, the closing Adagiocon variazioni sombre and somewhat longwinded. And yet the use of viola in place of a cello has its attractions, and there are numerous telling glimpses of the mature Reger.
The E minor Trio is something else again, a rugged masterpiece, with a finely structured opening Allegro moderato, ma con passione (the three stages of its argument are divided equally within a 15-minute framework), a mysterious Allegretto that opens in the manner of later Brahms then suddenly lets in the sunlight, and a noble, hymn-like Largo that recalls 'The Hermit with the Violin' from the Böcklin Portraits.
Reger's Second Trio is full of audacious modulations and striking dramatic gestures; it is long (something in excess of 40 minutes), but never outstays its welcome. No one could reasonably ask for more than the Parnassus Trio offers, either in terms of drama or of interpretative subtlety. If you love Brahms, and fancy diving in among a plethora of stimulating musical complexities, invest without delay. If you love melody, there's plenty of that, too.