Our record producer Andrew Keener sends his ‘suggested version’ of the trio’s newest Haydn disc in the post. He has worked through all the material we recorded over three days in the studio, stitching together his preferred versions of the takes. Now it’s for the members of the trio to listen and comment. For some reason this is always a task I find it hard to undertake, because our own recordings strike me as simultaneously familiar and alien.

Our producer’s work is meticulous, as always, and so is our sound engineer’s. The recorded sound is lustrous and clear, and the musical strands stand out clearly against one another, but I can’t say I enjoy listening. It suddenly strikes me as a ridiculous Rolls Royce of an outcome, beautifully played and recorded as if by a team of superhumans. Nothing has been faked, but the simple process of leaving out all the slips and scratches has made everything seem dauntingly perfect, even to my ears.