Gerhard, Cassadó & Montsalvatge: Piano Trios

These three Catalan piano trios reveal illuminating facets of each composer. Roberto Gerhard’s early trio exudes a distinctly French ethos, alongside that of de Falla, very different from his later asperity. Xavier Montsalvatge’s much later work, written between 1986 and 1988, owes its origin to disparate sources but forms an impressive whole, and is lyrical, expressive, sensual and dance-like in turn. Admired as a cellist, Gaspar Cassadó composed a brilliantly virtuoso trio, influenced by earlier Spanish models, but revealing great panache and considerable demands via guitar imitations, malagueña rhythms and lashings of folkloric brio.