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“A delightful new recording: bright, clear, with incredible fire and exuberance, while equally relishing the wonderful lyricism. (…) splendidly transparent, and always expressive.”

“Elegant, graceful, and as such rather French. (…) The musicians of Trio Machiavelli have focused on a central feature of Ravel's aesthetics for their interpretation, that of 'clarté'. This is evident in their extremely sensitive handling of the delicate sounds, which never feels forced and avoids pathos as a matter of principle. In this way, they succeed in capturing the magic of this music, rendering it audible.”

“A richly coloured fin-de-siècle show. There is not a shadow of doubt that the members of Trio Machiavelli are passionate about their music: from the first second to the last, they display a remarkable interpretative creativity, which shines out again and again into the farthest corners of the music.”

“Sublimated contrasts, supple and elegant movements, profound and poetic gestures — all this, coupled with intelligence and a great deal of spontaneity, lend the music an electrifying presence.”

“Trio Machiavelli, gathered around pianist Claire Huangci, meets every aspect of the high demands of works by both Ravel and Chausson. Ravel's stroke of genius from 1914 is illuminated down to the smallest detail in its enormous multi-layered complexity, doing justice to the fragile rhythmic ambivalences of 'Pantoum' as well as the baroque reminiscences of the Passacaglia.”

“The interplay is flawless, with Claire Huangci especially convincing on the piano with her fast and lightly pearled runs. The trio as a whole perform with a high level of precision and a suddenness that swiftly turn the smallest sparks into great fire.”

“Trio Machiavelli proves to be a highly homogeneous, versatile ensemble — rhythmically precise, considered in the distribution of voices, with a wide range of expressive forms.”

“Trio Machiavelli knows exactly how to combine complexly layered rhythms with a subtle poetic magic.”

“Huangci's iridescent piano playing blends perfectly with the two strings. The three understand each other intuitively and play with a natural virtuosity. A fantastic group with exemplary music on this, their first CD. One can hardly play French chamber music better or more colourfully.”

“Cultivated, opulent sensuality, high musicality, eloquent ensemble playing, temperament and energy characterise this recording, which convinces in every voice — it deserves the 'kiss of the muses'.”

“The musicians audibly feel at home in the chamber music of the fin de siècle. With a sophisticated balance of clear articulation, lucidity, and lyricism, they develop a range of nearly orchestral textures in Ravel's Piano Trio, taking the rhythmic finesse of the score into account.”

“Dedicated and full of feeling with tremendous liveliness of sound — a sensational debut of a young ensemble!”

“With this album Claire Huangci demonstrates that she is not only an outstanding pianist, but also a first-rate chamber musician.”