Leonore Piano Trio

The Leonore Piano Trio has specialized in the music of neglected Romantic composers. The group has also performed and recorded contemporary music on occasion, as well as the chamber music of Beethoven. The Leonore Piano Trio was formed in 2012. The trio's three members -- violinist Benjamin Nabarro, cellist Gemma Rosefield, and pianist Tim Horton -- had performed trios as part of the larger chamber music cooperative Ensemble 360 and had gained notice for those performances. The trio quickly was contracted for concerts through the U.K. and in Italy, Norway (at the Bergen International Festival), and New Zealand, where it mentored young musicians in a local counterpart to Venezuela's La Sistema. Soon after its formation, the Leonore Piano Trio was signed by the Hyperion label and, in 2014, released an album of piano trios by Anton Arensky. Subsequent recordings, such as a 2018 album devoted to the music of composer Johann Peter Pixis, covered even more unusual music. In 2016, the group departed from the Romantic era for a recording of works by contemporary composer David Matthews. The Leonore Piano Trio has performed at the Odsherreds Kammermusikfestival (Denmark), Music at Oxford, Buxton Festival, and Lakeside Arts Centre Nottingham, among others. In 2016, the trio made its debut at London's Wigmore Hall, where it has been invited back for return visits. In addition, the group has performed Beethoven trios under the auspices of Britain's Music in the Round chamber series. Unusually among chamber ensembles, the Leonore Piano Trio has shown a commitment to musical outreach, commissioning a narrated work for young audiences from Rachel Leach, based on the cellist Steven Isserlis' book Why Beethoven Threw the Stew. The group released nine albums on Hyperion by 2022, issuing an album of piano trios by 19th century composer Woldemar Bargiel that year. ~ James Manheim, Rovi