Word: trios
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...concert comprised two well-chosen pieces, Schumann’s Trio No. I in D minor, a relentlessly shape-shifting work, and Schubert’s Trio in E-flat Major, Opus 100, which was Schumann’s inspiration. Both works demand virtuoso performances from each player, but provide ample opportunities for the trio to showcase their famous ability to cooperate...
Whereas the tendency in Schumann might be to exaggerate every rapid diminuendo and surprising modulation, the trio handled unexpected turns of phrase with elegant subtlety. Besides maintaining a sweet, round tone throughout the tumultuous first movement, violinist Hope reined in his exuberance so as not to drown out the lesser tunes allotted to the cello, played with gusto by Antonio Meneses. Meanwhile, Pressler, a shrunken old man seemingly twice the age of his fellow players, continually reared his head from side to side to check on the progress of the strings, despite the fact that neither violinist nor cellist seemed...
Resisting the temptation for romantic indulgence, Pressler inaugurated the Schubert trio with Beethovenian stateliness, bringing out the authority of chords and arpeggios. But if the first movement felt somewhat restrained, the second movement, with its unforgettable, darksome melody, was played with less sense and more sensibility. In this famous movement, Schubert makes the most of few materials, building hundreds of bars on a single, two-note interval. The trio successfully differentiated every reiteration, varying their emotional colorings with exquisite care...
After rather thunderous ovations, the trio performed for two encores, the concert’s highlights. Dismissing Schubert’s sweetness, Pressler called the audience “back to earth” by playing the frenzied scherzo of Shostakovich’s second piano trio. After this outburst of energy, Pressler then returned listeners “back to heaven” with the slow movement of Beethoven’s Trio No. 11. Arguing for Beethoven’s status as a romantic, the trio played with some of the maudlin expressivity that the previous performances...
It’s precisely this ability to engage listeners that makes the Beaux Arts Trio such a treat. For all their careful technique and studied interpretations, the atmosphere of their concerts remains as exciting and impromptu as the gatherings among friends at which these trios were originally performed...