Founded in 2010, Trio Gaspard has become one of the most sought-after piano trios of its generation, whose members are praised for their unique and fresh approach to the score. The Trio is regularly invited to perform at leading concert halls throughout the world. It has an impressive history of international festival appearances, and each member also continues to pursue a successful solo career. Haydn has been central to the Trio’s repertoire since its inception, to the extent that it is rare for them to perform a program that does not include his music. For this survey of the complete Haydn Trios, pianist Nicholas Rimmer notes: ‘we have decided to record the trios neither chronologically nor in the groups in which they were first published. Instead, we have aimed to create an interesting and contrasted ‘program’ of trios for each volume, so that it can be listened to in a single, satisfying sitting. In addition, we have asked a composer to write a short work inspired by one of the trios from each volume, and we are excited by the contemporary perspectives on Haydn that these composers open up for us. This first album features a work by our good friend, the percussionist and composer Johannes Fischer. We hope that the listener will share in this rich journey – spanning forty years of Haydn’s life and more than forty brilliant works of music. Amazingly, each of these trios is unique enough to warrant individual attention and repeated listening.’

REVIEW:

The Trio Gaspard’s project to record the complete Haydn trios for Chandos gets off to a good start with five great works from the mid-1780s and mid-1790s. The Gaspard players like to keep the music sounding lively and spontaneous, and although their improvised runs and ornaments are discreet, this may not be to everyone’s taste.

-- BBC Music Magazine