"Even in 2020’s crowded field of Beethoven recordings, this one by the Smetana Trio stands out. Their double album frames the familiar Archduke and Ghost Trios with the Op. 1 No. 3 and Op. 70 No. 2, and all four works come across with vibrant, persuasive energy in the warm but clean acoustic of the studio." — BBC Music Magazine
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“The Smetana Trio's performances, as captured in Supraphon's warm recording, are totally compelling. It's no mean feat that the players not only negotiate the ebb and flow of the musical argument in each work with tremendous flexibility of nuance, but that their imaginative approach to balance and texturing ensures that the listener is completely involved in the drama from first bar to last.” — BBC Music Magazine
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“The passion for music of their homeland was matched by musical skill, flawless ensemble, and exceptional communicative ability.” — American Record Guide
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"The musicians knew where they were going and exactly how to get there, without wasted motion, in razor sharp turns and quick sprints." — OC Register
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“The Smetana’s performance of the Ravel is not coolly ‘classical’, but fully alive to its poignancy and inventive coloring.” — BBC Music Magazine
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"This is a top-notch disc containing two of the twentieth century’s great Piano Trios superbly performed and very well recorded. The Smetana Trio celebrates its eightieth anniversary in 2014 but has had many changes of personnel over the years. The key thing is that the current group uphold if not surpass the musical ideal and technical excellence of its predecessors." — Music Web International
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"Energy, a gripping emotional range and flawless technique are just a few things that come to mind on listening to the Smetana Trio's recording of the Trios in F minor, Op. 65 and No. 4, Op. 90, or the ‘Dumky'. Crisp, determined passages contrast with moments of sublime legato where bowing is so flawless that the cello's and violin's interlocking melodies melt into one inseparable world. The three performers listen to each other so acutely that, if you were at a live performance, you'd be afraid to breathe for fear of interrupting: each member of the trio responds to the tiniest nuance... they live the music and you can't help but to live it with them."
— BBC Music
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"The performances are faultless: the Dvorak is done with exuberant grandeur, the other two Trios with a concentrated precision that gives the impression that the three players are functioning as an indivisible unit."
— The Guardian
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"As with their previous recordings, there is nothing routine about the Smetana Trio's approach to this engaging repertoire. Every aspect of their interpretation is carefully considered without losing an ounce of spontaneity. Individual lines are remarkable for their focus and beauty, though the powerful sense of ensemble is never sacrificed to individual display. "
— BBC Music
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"The players bring a mark of a great ensemble to all three pieces: unity of purpose combined with individuality of character. A delight."
— The Telegraph
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"The program opens with the Dumky Trio, and right from the start you can tell that this is going to be a great performance. Passion and spontaneity unite with rhythmic precision and a real feeling for the dance... Without question, this is a very great recording, an essential acquisition whether you already love this music or just want to get to know it better."
— Classics Today
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"Their reading of the first movement of the Smetana Piano Trio is one of the most satisfyingly dramatic I have heard on disc."
— Jan Smaczny,
BBC Music
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"The pianist Jitka Cechová, the violinist Jana Vonaskova-Nováková, and the violoncellist Palenicek were perfectly prepared, appeared even to breathe in unison, and presented the music with humility, passion, and the highest standard of tonal culture."
— Lubos Stehlík,
Harmonie
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"The three instruments blended into a single sound, a perfect understanding of the varied moods, and in addition a delight in the music which had no technical boundaries. At the same time the architecture of the movements was never neglected, and never for a moment did the musicians lose sight of the whole while shaping the details."
— Badische Neueste Nachrichten, Karlsruhe
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