I recently purchased a CD from mp3.com with piano trios by Arthur Foote
(#1 op. 5) and Dmitri Shostakovich (#2 op 67), thinking how nice it would
be to add the latter to my collection.  Well, the Shostakovich is indeed a
treasure, and hearing it makes it somewhat understandable how he was able
to compose his eighth string quartet in three days.  But the surprise to
me was the wonderful trio by Foote, a composer with whom I am largely
unfamiliar.  It is joyful, melodic, spirited, and hauntingly beautiful, and
I suspect it's an underappreciated work that many on this list would value
knowing if they do not do so already.  It even passes that essential litmus
test for great music: the Sherwood Hum Test (the other composer featured on
this CD is exempt from this requirement).  While people on this list don't
need my help in ascertaining artistic merit, I found the quality of the
performance and the quality of the recording to be beyond reproach,
although my home stereo fails to bring out the best in recorded music.

The CD is marred, IMO, by the lack of liner notes.  Even the performers
are unidentified, other than being something known as the Serafino Trio.
Like, who are these folks?  For that matter, who were the composers?  Notes
about the music also would have been appreciated.  Probably most of mp3's
customers don't give a fig about the key in which their music is played,
but people who purchase this kind of music frequently do like to learn
something about the music they hear.  But excepting this caveat, the
Serafino Trio's CD would make an excellent gift to those unfamiliar with
either Foote's or Shostakovich's music.

P.S. Anyone who really does not know the answer to the first question I
posed above may find enlightenment at:

   http://www.serafinotrio.com/

Larry Sherwood