PIANO TRIO / RONDEAU

Exploring the byways of Chopin’s work reveals gems such as the elegant Rondeau for two pianos, and the Variations for flute and piano on a theme by Rossini then at the height of his popularity. The substantial Piano Trio Op. 8, dedicated to the cello-playing Prince Antoni Radziwill of Poznañ, is a work in which Chopin allowed his Polish patriotism to be heard. Of the Kungsbacka Piano Trio The Strad asked “is there a better Trio ensemble in Western Europe?”

Chopin:
 Piano Trio in G minor Op. 8
 with Kungsbacka Piano Trio

 Mazurka No. 60 Op. posth. in D major (1832)
 with Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)

 Rondo in C major for two pianos, Op. 73
 with Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano), Philip Moore (piano)

 Rondo in C major, Op. 73
 with Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)

 Variations for flute and piano in E major, B 9
 Variations on Rossini's 'Non piu mesta' in E major
 with Emily Beynon (flute), Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)

 Waltz No. 20 in F sharp minor, Op. posth., KK Ib/7 'Mélancolique'
 with Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)

"This CD opens with an enchanting, 1828 Rondo...it proves a fresh and joyous discovery, treated with plenty of TLC by the engaging duo of Simon Crawford-Phillips and Philip Moore...The Kungsbacka Trio balance the three instruments with care [in Op. 8], and they apply a good sense of early Romantic-period ethos, involving gentle string tone and plenty of portamentos."
BBC Music Magazine - February 2012 ***