British composer Sir Hubert Parry (1848-1918) was of the same generation as Charles Villiers Stanford and Edward Elgar, and thus succumbed to the fate of neglect, overshadowed by the popularity of Elgar in particular. There's a substantial difference in the number of recordings between the two composers, despite the fact that both produced a large body of work. The only piece by Parry that seems to have struck a chord with the public in general and that is still regularly performed today is his famous choral work titled "Jerusalem". And there's something of Jerusalem's anthemic and stirring eloquence present within the core of these chamber works.

For example the opening movement of his Piano Trio No. 2 in B minor is highly passionate in nature and propelled forward by a deeply ruminative Brahmsian undercurrent, with the piano part in particular creating a shifting ebb and flow of expressive moods and harmonic contrasts. A lyrical and yet dramatic slow movement ensues marked by a deeply introspective central segment. This is followed by a light and playful scherzo movement in which a jamboree of ideas and motifs emerge and coalesce into a joyful parade. The solemnity of the opening movement returns in the last, and I admire the way Hubert Parry weaves the main thematic material of the whole work throughout all four movements which lends everything a cohesive impact, and all parts come together at the end to form a dramatic and well-anticipated finish.

The Piano Quartet in A flat major predates the Trio by about five years and yet seems more harmonically adventurous and technically demanding. The Presto movement in particular demanding pinpoint accuracy and focused expression from all four musicians. The booklet notes point out that the performers preparing it for its premiere in 1879 found the whole work to be technically challenging but in the end very rewarding. The members of the Leonore Piano Trio must have felt the same way when making this recording. Benjamin Nabarro violin, Gemma Rosefield cello, Tim Horton piano and Rachel Roberts playing the viola for the quartet, all seem to relish these intensive demands and turn them in their favor with a highly satisfying account of both works, presented here with superb musicianship.