the players catch just the right Schubertian balance of poise and profundity … There is never any lack of momentum … There’s plenty of colour, from subtly glassy on-the-bridge effects to a full-on stamping and jangling the scherzo of Op. 100 … A gorgeously sustained account of the Nocturne (D897) completes this set.

Staier’s fortepiano (a Christopher Clarke instrument of 1996 after an 1827 Viennese original) is a joy, bringing lightness and a quickness of touch everywhere. These are poetic performances lit by shimmering beauties. Schubert’s one-movement Notturno, D897, is the obvious and sublime filler.

Three leading period instrumentalists play three of the finest chamber works of the early 19th century, and the disc is a surefire winner…it’s Schubert as you’ve almost certainly never heard it before…add to that their first-class playing – not only their technical mastery in these stamina-sapping scores but also their cheeky ornamentation and deadpan comic timing – and you have a recording of the trios that’s worth returning to again and again

The new recording on period instruments adds an extra dimension which makes me inclined now to rate it as my top choice…Staier plays on a modern copy of an 1827 Graf fortepiano and once again it’s the choice of instrument that proves very winning… The playing throughout is crystal clear and the recording captures that clarity superbly.

Staier and his fortepiano (a modern copy of a Conrad Graf instrument) gave me continual pleasure...The performances are full of fine touches, and in the E flat trio’s andante, the players bring out the music’s eerie strangeness marvellously.

The period instruments here, led by a crystal-clear copy of an 1827 Graf piano with a pinging staccato, thin out the music and lend it a brittle, sharp attack. The funeral march of the E flat Trio Op 100 is especially striking.

Conceived on the grandest scale, these works have not been unfortunate on disc: this newcomer, nevertheless, is one of the most penetrating of recent years…the unanimity extends beyond just the sound; these are striking, vital performances, the ensemble’s clarity allowing tremendous detail without sacrificing Schubert’s carefully moulded lines

One of the joys of these new period instruments performances is the way the three instruments can both blend and stand out from one another, and the filigree of Andreas Staier’s fortepiano is a wonder in itself. The sound world may be a little leaner and more austere than usual, but the players accommodate it beautifully to the music’s geniality and melancholy, as well as its climactic rushes.

They receive superb period-instrument performances on this pair of discs. Sensible listeners will be grinning at Daniel Sepec’s unfussy delivery of the B flat trio’s opening theme, and purring with pleasure when Andreas Staier repeats it a minute or so later...The balance throughout is impeccable, the fortepiano never overpowering the solo strings.

These performances rise above any issues of preference between modern and period instruments. This is very fine Schubert indeed from a real partnership of instrumentalists

The traditional view of Schubert’s two piano trios tends towards ebullience (Op 99) as opposed to austerity (Op 100). Fortepianist Andreas Staier and friends forge a gleaming bridge that brings them closer together, the B flat buoyant and flexible, the E flat somewhat more animated than usual … Exceptional in every respect.

the copy of a Conrad Graff piano from Vienna 1827 brings a new balance with the strings, biting attack and a silvery clarity … the recording…gives a lovely, fresh bloom to the sound, and these performances lack neither scale nor passion. I found them deeply satisfying musically … beautifully done.