Our Recording of the Month is an addictively entertaining collection by one of America’s finest ensembles. Rooted – with music by Smetana, Suk, Coleridge-Taylor and Frank Martin – is the latest from the Neave Trio, whose superlative playing and intriguing programming has earned it applause worldwide (Chandos CHAN20272).

The album’s theme is music that reflects nationality and place, opening with Smetana’s Piano Trio in G minor, a superbly crafted work that deserves to be heard more often. The Neaves are keenly attuned to Smetana’s sound world, combining lyrical anguish with a wistful nostalgia that looks back at happier times through a veil of tears. Equally fine is Suk’s charming Petit Piano Trio with a central movement that wiggles its hips like a Czech Carmen.

Coleridge-Taylor’s tuneful Five Negro Melodies have a graceful and moving eloquence, but the most surprising work here is the album’s agreeable finale. Martin’s Trio, based on popular Irish melodies, is a case of Stravinsky meets Emerald Isle blarney, carried off with pinpoint coordination and immaculate intonation. A peach of an album.

The Australian Haydn Ensemble may adhere safely to the classics, but it goes from strength to strength and has produced a series of excellent recordings. This excellent Mozart compilation is...