Lincoln Trio, Trios From Our Homelands, Rebecca Clarke, Arno Babajanian, Frank Martin

Today's album starts with a good idea and then goes places with it. The Lincoln Trio each chose a composer from their respective ancestral home, then selected an appropriate trio by that composer. The result is Trios from Our Homelands  (Cedille 90000 165), a highly worthwhile venture into relatively uncharted territory, with an exciting set of performances, highly expressive and edgy to suit the dynamic scores at hand.

We get English native Rebecca Clarke and her "Trio for Violin, violoncello and piano," Armenian Arno Babajanian's "Piano Trio in F-Sharp Minor," and Swiss national Frank Martin and his "Trio sur des melodies populaires irlandaises."

The resultant program gives us three relatively unknown works with the complexities and fullness of the best in modern chamber expression, with a post-romantic, neo-classical attention to structure and depth of feeling.

Based on this fine program I would say that the Lincoln Trio is among the elite of such outfits playing today, capable of extraordinary levels of nuance and detail, filled with admirable sympathy and devotion to the works here presented.

If you are looking for modern chamber music somewhat off the beaten path, played with care and spirit by a top-notch piano trio, you will be well-served by this volume.

Heartily recommended.