As in many art forms, things can fall through the cracks of popularity in classical music. When this happens we can miss out on something interesting and different but entirely worthy of attention. Listening to this album, I felt the art of the horn trio was one of those things. Comprising violin, piano, and French horn, these works are written for their disparate sound world. On the surface it seems like there is not much in the way of complementary voices between the three instruments, but instead this is what makes the trio work. Each distinctive voice can say something musically interesting and then there are shining moments when all three join together and the music becomes quite delicious.

Quercus Trio is a Melbourne-based group whose members are esteemed musicians in the community. Carla Blackwood is the French hornist and her sound was described as ‘like an oak’ and with this they ‘were inspired by the connection between the horn’s sound and the physicality of the wood in the violin and piano’. All three musicians are involved in the education of tertiary students, from the Australian National Academy of Music to the University of Melbourne. Which shows the high calibre of teachers and their dedication to the music produced by our own composers.

All the works presented on this recording are from Australian composers, including Roger Smalley, Elena Kats-Chernin, Gordon Kerry and Don Banks. Between these works, Quercus are covering 40 years of composition – and including two world- premiere recordings. And if you’re looking for those particularly delicious moments, check out the third movement of Kats-Chernin’s Velvet Revolution.