Vinehall School Music Society 27 October 2012
The sudden arrival of winter seemed to be reflected in the concert given by the Rhodes Piano Trio. All three works were set in minor keys and have troubled hearts. They opened with Beethoven’s Op1 No3 in C minor – the trio Haydn advised Beethoven not to publish. One can see why, even in the opening movement, where the hints of Schubert and later romanticism seem light years away from the classical norm. Although Beethoven trims his material so as not to upset the listener the darker side constantly troubles the surface to make a much more exciting and demanding piece. The Rhodes Piano Trio found these depths with ease, particularly Robert Thompson’s mellifluous piano playing on Vinehall’s beautiful Bosendorfer, so much more appropriate to early romantic music than other concert grands, as we heard in the second work.
Schumann’s Piano Trio No3 in G minor is densely written almost at times to the point of obscurity, and it was a tribute to the players that we could follow the musical line with ease. This was particularly true of the intense sensitivity of the Ziemlich langsam second movement. The frenetic scherzo leads to a final movement the composer thought of as Humorous. Though marginally lighter than the earlier movements its skittish shifts and diverse melodic fragments make for an uneasy transition.
After the interval Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No1 in D minor was something of a relief as the composer is never far removed from good humour, and the work allows all of the soloists to demonstrate their individual skills. Violinist, Michael Gurevish introduced all of the works, showing an easy rapport with his audience as well as technical prowess. The acoustic in the hall allows the lower parts for the cello to sing beautifully, and David Edmunds made good use of this, particularly during the Beethoven.
The next concert in the series is on Saturday 24 November when the Zemlinsky quartet of Prague will play works by Mozart, Janacek and Dvorak. Details from geoffreywhitehead@vinehallschool.com BH