Gould Piano Trio - Edinburgh International Festival: Chamber Music Highlights 2021 - Edinburgh Music Review

Leokayida Kashperova was a well-known pianist and composer in St Petersburg in the early 20th century. It was assumed that she stopped composing after the revolution. Then this piano trio, written between 1929 and 1940, was discovered in 2019 and given its premiere by the Gould Piano Trio last year.

There’s much to admire in the work. Kashperova demonstrates melodic inventiveness and enjoys exploiting the qualities of each instrument. The Scherzo in contrast is punchy. A jaunty piano tune is accompanied by plucked strings, then the strings develop a slower theme based on crunchy chords. The movement ends with a bucolic dance.