It was Martin Roscoe and the Endellion Quartet who first opened my ears to the masterly qualities of Amy Beach's substantial and lovely Piano Quintet. First heard in 1908, it is a noble outpouring, big-hearted and melodious, yet soundly argued and satisfyingly constructed too. By the side of Roscoe and the Endellion, these newcomers adopt a more yielding, lusciously romantic approach, but perhaps there isn't quite the same degree of formal elegance and interpretative prowess on show. Sympathetic as these newcomers are, their playing doesn't stir the imagination to quite the same extent as that on the ASV disc. The Chandos recording, too, is perhaps neither as full-bodied nor well defined as that of its rival: tuttis are a touch overbright and piano focus could be sharper.
The remainder of The Ambache's all-Beach programme is, however, well worthy of investigation. The Theme and Variations for flute and string quartet was first performed in September 1916 in San Francisco. The theme itself (taken from Beach's own part-song, An Indian Lullaby) has a serenity and tender simplicity, spawning six eventful variations, the fifth of which (a long-breathed Largo di molto) is the work's emotional kernel. The Piano Trio is a much later piece (it was premiered in January 1939, with the 71-year-old Beach herself at the piano), and the second of its three exquisitely crafted movements again makes use of earlier ideas (the perky miniature Scherzo at the heart of this Lento espressivo is based on a folk-tune from her Op. 64 Piano Suite, Eskimos). Like the Theme and Variations, it's a highly appealing creation, deftly and affectionately performed here. Sound and balance, too, seem to improve for these last two items. All in all, a very likeable release.'