Nominated in Chamber Category

Interpretation ****     Sound Quality ****      Repertoire Value *****      Booklet ****

“…these piano trios performed by the Neave Trio definitely represent an enrichment of the repertoire.”

“Anthologies of female composers have crossed my desk often in the past few years, and this one is possibly the most satisfying of the lot. Each selection is a youthful composition, reflecting these artists as they reach maturity… the high-level musicianship and variety of styles makes this more than the sum of its parts.

Performance ****½    Sonics ****½

“…The Neave Trio is, as always, in top form and is to be commended for bringing these rarely heard gems to light is such stellar performances.”

“A handful of unfailingly accomplished, virtually unknown trios, in handsome performances and ideal sound”

“… The Neave’s way with [the Smyth] is expansive, with an attractive warmth of tone in the interlocking string phrases of the outer movements and playing at once weighty and admirably restrained from pianist Eri Nakamura …”

“…Everything here is played with unmannered expression, wit, vivacity and passionate lyricism without heavily laden extravagant gestures and the recording captures the warmth of the trio’s sound marvellously. I am delighted to get to know the Chaminade and the discover the albeit early writing of Ethel Smyth who has previously been pretty much a name in a dictionary but everything here is worthy of the attention and commitment that the Neave trio bring to the task.”

Performance *****      Recording *****

“… the four works by Chaminade, Tailleferre, Smyth and Lili Boulanger are well chosen, both for themselves and for the way they work with and against each other… Throughout, the string tone is the most beautiful I’ve heard in a long time.”

“… the case for all four composers is strengthened by these illustrious performances: the Neave Trio delivers perceptively characterised interpretations that are by turns individual and blended, supported by a pleasingly warm recording…”

"The Neave Trio chamber ensemble brings each vividly to life, but reserve the most imposing work to last. Ethel Smyth’s Piano Trio in D Minor (1880) invokes her youthful connections to Brahms in a weighty and well-argued score that foreshadows the strength of the major scores of her maturity. Taken together, these four composers make a rewarding quartet.”   ****

“… the Naeve Trio is very present and committed, illuminating this composition [Smyth: Trio] with devotion…” *****

“..a richly rewarding disc.” ****

“…These chamber works are still not in the mainstream. The Neave Trio … put their case eloquently.”