It’s nightfall when I hit play on the Streeton Trio’s latest release, which features two minor piano trios from Mendelssohn. His first in D Minor, Op. 49 is a fitting opener for the rainy Hobart evening. Though hinting at brighter spirits, the dominant feeling is intense. The Trio’s members are inspiringly considerate of each other through radical dynamic ranges, making room for each part with what seems exaggerated courtesy.

The following Andante con Molto Tranquillo offers a necessary respite; though gentle, it doesn’t fully release us from the tension. The Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace is highly repetitive in rhythm, but exploding with expression. Even through speedier passages, the ensemble boasts a unified voice – at once revealing conviction and grace.

An arrangement of Gondellied, WoO 10 from the trio’s pianist Benjamin Kopp comes next. It’s excessively romantic, depicting the canals of Venice as Mendelssohn may have remembered them. Its expansion from 2/4 to 12/8 may be the cause of such dreaminess – an adventurous decision from Kopp. His arrangement of Spring Song, Op. 62/6 is comically quaint, while the Song Without Words in E Flat, Op. 30/1 uses lyrical lines to showcase cellist Umberto Clerici and violinist Emma Jardine’s skills.

The disc finishes with the Piano Trio No 2 in C Minor, Op. 66 – which Kopp labels “one of the hugest sonorities invented for the piano trio formation” – and it’s outstanding. This release is well timed with the season – next time you face a rainy day, try placing this disc in your stereo.