IN this, the final concert of the DCMMS 40th anniversary season, there was a return visit by the Lawson Trio, who first performed here in 2012.

In the first half, the large and appreciative audience heard piano trios by Mozart and Debussy. Mozart composed his C major trio, K548, in 1788. This was not a happy time for him. His father had recently died, one of his children had died aged just six months and Constanza, his wife, was also unwell and needing a lot of expensive treatment.

However, you would not have been aware of that listening to this trio.

It is a typical Mozart composition, with much grace and charm.

It received an excellent performance, with wit and sensitive phrasing in the faster outer movements, together with expressive cantabile playing in the slower second movement, and how good to see them communicating with each other.

Debussy composed his piano trio in 1880, aged 18, whilst employed by Nadezda von Meck to tutor her daughter and perform for her.

If you hadn’t known that it was by Debussy, you might have thought it was perhaps by a composer from the Romantic era, as it was not in the Impressionistic style he later shared with Ravel in later years.

It received a lovingly played performance, with beautiful warm string playing, especially in the Andante third movement.

After the interval, there was just the one work, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor.

This colossal work was composed about 1881, as a tribute to Nikolai Rubinstein, the famous pianist, composer, and colleague of Tchaikovsky, who had recently died.

In reality, this is a tour de force for the pianist – technically very difficult, and demanding much effusive playing.

However, it is also challenging for the strings. I think the best way of summing up this very fine performance is to say that they all played their hearts out and the audience enjoyed it very much. What more can you ask?

RUSSELL DAWSON