Ravel was a sophisticated composer who was exacting and worked towards compositional perfection, which is beautifully evident in this Piano Trio in A minor. However, he was also described as childlike and the bubbly notes of the second movement immediately evoked the picture of him playing on the floor with his friend’s children, something he did once when he was too shy to talk to the adults. This work really feels like a distilled version of Ravel’s style, with the strings as the soul and the piano tying it all together.

Meanwhile Saint-Saëns was working towards something more nefarious. ‘I am working quietly away at a trio which I hope will drive to despair all those unlucky enough to hear it. I shall need the whole summer to perpetrate this atrocity, one must have a little fun somehow.’ While he joked about this trio, he took the composing of it very seriously. It was considered hopelessly outdated to be doing such a ‘traditional’ or ‘German’ composition but Saint-Saëns stuck to his principles. Luckily, he did, as this is a stunning work. The Sitkovetsky Trio brings an almost orchestral depth of sound to this recording, and it’s another feather in their cap to add to their slew of beautiful albums.

Kate Rockstrom is a friend of Readings.