Mark’s Score: 5 stars
Described by Musica Viva as Australia’s most internationally successful piano trio, The Streeton Trio was formed in 2008 in Switzerland. The trio comprises Emma Jardine (violin), Benjamin Kopp (piano) – both graduates of the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) with further training accomplished at the Haute école de musique de Genève – and on this occasion guest artist Eliza Sdraulig (cello) also a graduate from ANAM. In 2010, the trio was selected to be a part of the prestigious European Chamber Music Academy, where it was in residence for three years. Winner of the Musica Viva Chamber Music Competition, the Streeton Trio has been laureate of several other prestigious international competitions.
Named after the Australian Impressionist painter, Sir Arthur Streeton, the trio in now based in Sydney. In 2018 Emma and Benjamin built a small concert hall attached to their home in Wentworth Falls where they regularly hold their own concerts. As a further homage to their namesake and no doubt to The Blue Mountains this concert is named after Streeton’s most famous painting Fire’s On (1891) – a depiction of the construction of the Glenbrook/Lapstone rail tunnel. The painting’s title comes from the warning call before the blast of the explosive.
The Sunday August 25 concert – a part of The Independent’s series A Prelude in Tea gave us three Russian Piano Trios. The first: Trio Élégiaque No 1 in G minor (1892), Sergei Rachmaninoff’s (1873-1943) rather mournful single movement in sonata form.. The work may well be an elegy to Tchaikovsy as it has a connection to his Trio in A minor. Despite his youth, Rachmaninoff shows in the virtuoso piano part his ability to cover a wide spectrum of sound colours. These were vigorously picked out by Mr Kopp along with exquisite accompaniment from Ms Jardin and Ms Sdraulig.
Next up was Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio in E minor Op.67. Finished in the spring of 1944 it grew out of both national and personal tragedy. Russia was in a state of exhaustion after years of war and in particular the siege of Leningrad, in which over a million people had died. Revelations of the horrors of the death camps and the fate of Jews were also beginning to surface. At this time he lost his closest friend, Ivan Sollertinsky. Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) decided to dedicate it to Ivan – following in a tradition of elegiac Russian piano trios: Tchaikovsky had written his in memory of Rubinstein, Rachmaninoff to Tchaikovsky. The first movement begins with a fugue, the cello playing high, eerie harmonics, the muted violin entering below, the piano following with deep octaves. This is utter bleakest. The second movement is a savagely ironic scherzo with biting discords and obsessive repetition. Relief comes in the middle of the movement, the violin flings fragments of a folk song high in the air. The third movement has the piano repeating a slow, stark sequence of chords. The violin and cello enter. The music slowly builds to a climax, only to subside to an inconclusive chord, and then launches straight into the finale. He adds a specifically Jewish element, in the form of Klezmer (Jewish celebration music) – however disappearing rapidly, leaving us with the same bleak landscape expressed as a dance of death. Shostakovich has honoured here in music the death of millions of souls, plus one in particular.
Post interval and the mood lightens with a work from a lesser known composer: Anton Arensky (1861-1906). Little is to be found about Arensky on his music and was less prolific in his shorter life than our aforementioned composers. Indeed, Rimsky-Korsakov his tutor said, “In his youth Arensky did not escape some influence from me; later the influence came from Tchaikovsky. He will quickly be forgotten.” His work has had a resurgence in recent decades. The Piano Trio No.1 in D minor Op.32 (1894) is a beautifully lulling piece in movement one. The Scherzo is true to form and skips with energy, charm and humour. Ahead of its time it has an Edwardian elegance and all three musicians were a joy to behold. I am fascinated with how musicians communicate with their eyes. Added to that Sdraulig’s finger work was mesmeric in this second movement.. Then comes the third movement – an Elegia – I opine it is for Tchaikovsky as well, who had died in 1893. A great drinker and gambler, whilst maintaining his position at The Moscow Conservatory (and tutor to Rachmaninoff), Arensky may well have been fore-shadowing his own early death. The final movement and the fire is on!!.This movement lurches from great swelling dramatic passages falling upon pure romantic airs. Blissfully and dextorously played.
This provided a fine climax to this 5 star concert and the musicians were unanimously and extensively applauded. It’s a delight to be introduced to new music by this gloriously expressive trio. Bravos all round.
Mark G Nagle – On Sounds
