Last Thursday, Grahamstown Music Society treated us to a performance by the Trio Élégiaque, comprising Russian violinist Sergey Malov, South African cellist Peter Martens, and pianist Bryan Wallick from the US.
Last Thursday, Grahamstown Music Society treated us to a performance by the Trio Élégiaque, comprising Russian violinist Sergey Malov, South African cellist Peter Martens, and pianist Bryan Wallick from the US.
While the programme might at first have appeared to promise a triple dose of gloom, with three elegies by Russian composers, the evening’s entertainment was, in fact, anything but depressing.
Although each of the trios, by Rachmaninoff (Trio Élégiaque No.1 in G minor), Shostakovich (Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor) and Tchaikovsky (Piano Trio in A minor) had a funereal element and a good measure of Slavic pathos, the well-executed performance was a joy to listen to, because of the obvious technical mastery of each of the players. In particular, the highlight for me was the musicianship of the violinist.
His playing exuded poetry and lyricism, and his first melodic entry in the Rachmaninoff was like a gleam of moonlight.
The Shostakovich, which was composed in memory of a good friend, convincingly conveyed that sense of loss and desolation. The notoriously challenging opening theme, played in harmonics by the cello, was excellent.
In an art where it is the strings that usually have tuning issues, unfortunately this time it was the piano. The frenetic absurdities of the Scherzo and Finale were unintentionally exaggerated by the irreverent twang of some out-of-tune notes at the top of the piano.
The Tchaikovsky was, for me, the most engaging performance of the evening. The first movement evoked atmospheric wistfulness.
The second movement is a set of variations, each of which was beautifully characterised. It either danced or scampered or sang as appropriate.
The pianist’s flourishes were sparkling, while the elegant interjections by the violinist made me smile. The waltz variation, played mainly by the cello, was delightfully frothy.
It is often difficult to bring cohesion to a set of variations, but the Trio Élégiaque succeeded admirably, and at the end of the performance, such was the captivation of the audience, that not a soul stirred, for a noticeably longer time than is usual.
Thank you to the Grahamstown Music Society for bringing musicians of this quality to Grahamstown.
