JAMES MACMILLAN (b.1959): 14 Little Pictures, FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828): Piano Trio in E Flat, D.929.

Description: Pictures is not a programmatic work, and although clearly divided into sections of different character, it feels like a continuous narrative, not at all fragmentary and with enough thematic self-reference to provide a readily appreciable sense of unity. Textural diversity is emphasized though the subdivision of the trio in some movements, treating it as duos or even a soloist. Fundamentally based on tonality, in a more extended sense than some of the composer's recent works, the work is engaging and accessible. Gould Piano Trio.