Altenberg Piano Trio
by
Lyn Bronson
On an unseasonably warm spring evening last night a large
audience turned up at All Saints Church in Carmel to hear a return engagement of
the Altenberg Piano Trio. Members of the audience came with heightened
anticipations, and their expectations were richly rewarded. On the program were
no bone-jarring, teeth-rattling contemporary works, and there were no premieres
of newly-written compositions dedicated to the ensemble. What we heard instead
was a conventional program of three Viennese classical masterpieces by Mozart,
Beethoven and Schubert, and what could be more appropriate from these three fine
musicians from Vienna! On the program were Mozart’s Trio in G Major, K.564,
Beethoven’s C Minor Trio, Op. 1, No. 3, and finally Schubert’s great Trio in
B-flat Major, D.898.
In the genre of piano trios, the piano tends to be the
dominant partner, and so it was during this concert, for pianist Claus-Christian
Schuster definitely played the major role. He provided most of the rhythmic
interest, the most dazzling virtuoso passages (for both Mozart and Beethoven
were brilliant virtuosos), and some of the most interesting melodic twists and
turns. This is not to say that Schuster hogged the limelight, for on the
contrary, he was a very sensitive ensemble partner who always knew when to melt
into the background to defer to violinist Amiram Ganz or cellist Alexander
Gebert when their parts assumed greater importance than his.
Nevertheless, it was Schuster who was the star of the
evening. His artistically immaculate playing, especially in the Schubert Trio,
was full of surprises. He seemed to be able to shade and shape each phrase with
exquisite control of dynamics that was never gimmicky, but just solid and
musically right on target to bring out the best in the music. The Schubert Trio,
with a duration of 44 minutes, is longer than Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, but
last night, so charming and compelling was the performance that its challenging
length was hardly noticeable.
The Beethoven Trio in C Minor was a powerhouse performance
that displayed dramatic energy and masterful playing from all three musicians.
The opening and closing movements made the most powerful impression, but
throughout we heard fine ensemble playing and brilliant music making that never
called attention to itself, but always served the interests of the music.
The Mozart Trio that opened the program is a relatively
late work in Mozart’s brief life and it certainly contained a few surprises.
Mozart was fond of lulling our sensitivities with charming, but sometimes
conventional musical ideas, and just when we are least expecting it, dragging us
into the land of Sturm und Drang and
turning us upside down emotionally. This kind of heightened emotional moment
occurred in the development section of the first movement of the G Major Trio,
when after several minutes of rather tame musical ideas, suddenly we are
propelled into a minor key and taken on a roller coaster ride through unexpected
tonalities. Wow! There was some beautiful playing in this trio by all three
musicians.
After the concert, the entire audience was invited to the
Parrish hall for a lovely reception that featured assorted tempting treats
provided by board member Victoria Davis (who, also, incidentally was responsible
for the imaginative table decorations). The Carmel Music Society's Mozart Series
has a reputation for doing things in style, and it certainly did on this
occasion.
