Felice Giardini (1716-96) spent the largest part of his career in England, an exponent of the emerging Classical style. His string trios represent a major addition to this rewarding yet neglected medium. The 20 works recorded here all have three movements in moderate, slow, quick order. All last about 10 minutes, and none are in minor keys. These statistics alone should be sufficient to tell you that the music is neither especially complex nor particularly profound, but like so much music of the Rococo period, it’s very pleasant taken in small doses. In fact, Giardini proves himself an expert craftsman and tunesmith, able to wrest an extraordinary amount of color and charm from his three players, and the music never turns dull or formulaic. The Budapest String Trio makes the best possible case for the composer, infusing as much rhythmic urgency and instrumental personality into each piece as the music will stand (without overdoing it). Toss in finely focused recording, and the result is self-recommending for string players and collectors of fine chamber music.
