After two albums with little-performed repertoire, Trio Goldberg’s third recording is a canon. The three string trios by Beethoven, created under one opus number, have now probably reached recording maturity after a long period of study. The Goldberg Trio understands the first trio symphonically, the second intimately and playfully, the third in C minor dramatically and powerfully.

These early compositions already set the standard for the genre with their tonal density, suspenseful drama and outstanding formal disposition. Beethoven himself considered them to be the best he had written up to that point.

With their relaxed playing, the Goldberg Trio demonstrates on the one hand that they have a comprehensive knowledge and in-depth understanding of the material. On the other hand, despite a charmingly brusque approach, the interpretations with their tonally fine playing come across as freshly placed on the music stand. Fortunately, the long engagement has not resulted in any audible routine. Accents are clear, yet sonorous and not brutal and angular. Clear in articulation and sublime in design, they achieve a rousing naturalness that also sounds a little boyish. But in this case, that is more of an attraction.

Compared to the Trio Zimmermann’s recording, for example, the musicians’ greater soloistic experience means that they are perhaps even more natural. But here the members of Trio Goldberg offer an interpretation that is also very well captured in terms of technique and which need fear no comparison in terms of the instrumental mastery of the works. A successful reading of these three trios from front to back will delight the listener’s ears.