Beethoven: Three Piano Trios Op.1 – Trio Goya

   in Classical Music (Oct, 2018)
This excellent set is performed at A=430Hz on original instruments or copies thereof. The temperament used is that of Bach/ Lehnman, which emphasises the brightness of sharp keys and the softness of flat ones.

The performance of the first trio is full of life, especially in the Presto finale; the crown is the expansiveness of the Adagio cantabile, wherein Maggie Cole’s touch is miraculous. The fortepiano, a McNulty copy of a 1795 Anton Walter, has a beautifully lucent sound, complemented by the gut strings on the violin and cello.

The Trio in G major is probably the least known of the three yet the work breathes serenity, reaching its apogee in …