The Gould Piano Trio

Introducing the performers…

Lucy Gould (violin)
Benjamin Frith (piano)
Alice Neary (cello)

The Gould Piano Trio have remained at the forefront of the international chamber music scene for well over twenty years. Taking first prize at the beginning of their career in the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and subsequently selected as YCAT artists, they went on to tour in Europe and the USA as “Rising Stars”, making a highly successful debut at the Weill Recital Hall, described by Strad Magazine as “Pure Gould”. In recent years, the group have developed a close relationship with London’s Wigmore Hall, performing all the Dvorak Trios in a Czech Series, giving a recital in the BBC Radio 3 lunchtime series and now looking forward to their Beethoven Trios cycle in the 2017/18 season. At St George’s, Bristol, they performed and recorded these trios live for Somm, arguably the pinnacle of the repertoire, and brought a concentrated intensity for players and listeners alike in performances of the Schumann trios and Brahms Piano Quartets.

The trio’s discography includes not only the renowned masterpieces of the repertoire, but many hidden gems , brought to life through an ongoing collaboration with clarinettist, Robert Plane. Trio cycles by Beethoven (Somm), Brahms (Quartz), Hummel (Naxos) and Dvorak (Champs Hill) are complemented by the late romantic works of C V Stanford, John Ireland, Robin Milford, Cyril Scott and Arnold Bax. Along with a disc of contemporary works by Maxwell-Davies, Beamish and MacMillan (Champs Hill) was released in February 2015, these releases have helped to bring British music and many world premiere recordings to an international public. Releases of the complete Brahms piano quartets of  plus Kirchner’s transcriptions of his string sextets for piano trio are in the pipeline.

Through their annual festivals in Corbridge, Northumberland, now in it’s 18th year, and Cardiff at the RWCMD (where they are Artists in Residence and recently made Fellows), the Gould Piano Trio take inspiration from playing a wide range of chamber music with colleagues as well as coaching aspiring young ensembles. Giving masterclasses in Dartington Hall and Aldeburgh has also been rewarding, providing ways of passing on their years of experience. The trio have also been appointed resident ensemble at Surrey University. Outreach projects in conjunction with the Leeds International Piano Competition and various workshops across the country have also brought the trio in close contact with today’s younger generation of musicians.

The Gould Piano Trio have been keen to commission new works such as Sir James MacMillan’s second Piano Trio, premiered to much acclaim at the Bath International Festival in 2014. Looking towards the 2016 season and beyond, works from Simon Rowland-Jones, Mark Simpson and Huw Watkins have also been commissioned. The trio are particularly delighted that the Simpson is part of the “Beyond Borders” PRS scheme and has also been chosen for the New Music Biennial in Hull and at the London’s South Bank as part of the City of Culture celebrations in 2017.

“…what they produce, after playing for 20 years together, is simply extraordinary. The only comparison that comes to mind is the old Beaux Arts Trio; the combination of jeweler-like precision and a musical fire that ignites from the first bar…”

Washington Post, February 2014

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