In Mozart’s G major trio, K496, the piano of Stefan Mendl led the way as the music demands but his beautifully light crisp touch never threatened to dominate the texture. The opening Allegro drew delightful playing from all three players. The Andante starts simple and bright but develops a darker side, the thematic material coming back in ever more complex disguises, well brought out here. The final set of variations gave a satisfactory finish to a fine piece of Mozart playing.

Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht is more usually heard in the original string sextet version but the trio version, with the piano providing much of the accompanying matter, brings to the fore the characters of the two lovers from the poem which provided the composer’s inspiration. David McCarroll (violin) and Matthias Gredler (cello) were here in their element, providing yearning melodies, luscious pianissimos and shimmering tremulos, gaining rapt attention from an audience, many of whom may have been surprised that Schoenberg could create such beauty!

A rousing performance followed of the Schubert B flat major trio, bright and joyous despite being finished in the year of his death. The first movement emphasised again the interplay of the parts and the players made much of the playful pauses which threaten prematurely to end the movement. The cellist began the second movement with a wonderfully calm account of the melody: the dancing in the third movement was lively and spirited and the fourth movement rounded off a splendid concert in a more vigorous Beethovenian style.

CJS