Dmitri Shostakovich was only 17 years old when he completed his piano studies in Petrograd. In the same year he published his first piano trio, nonetheless already as Opus 8. The Trio Alba juxtaposes this youthful work with the Trio Op. 67 from 1944, with Bedrich Smetana's Piano Trio Op. 15 thereby expanding the view of the chamber music of the Slavic cultural region.

Smetana's music is Slavic although the work has a sad background - Smetana's daughter died shortly before, only four years old. The trio is dedicated to her memory, lamenting phrases and groans express the pain in the music.

Shostakovich's Trio op. 67 also commemorates a deceased person; the composer's deep consternation over the sudden death of a friend is expressed like a heart-rending lament.

Captured with great sympathy, this new recording - pressed onto the Hybrid SACD in the best super audio quality - convinces with its striking naturalness in imaging and reproduction.