Town House, Inverness, 14 February 2007

Kungsbacka Piano Trio (photo - Hanya Chlala)

A SUPERB performance by Malin Broman (violin), Jesper Svedberg (cello) and Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano) reminded me of how to be still in the purity of sound. There is nothing quite like a live performance, and the Kungsbacka Piano Trio conveyed the kind exuberance and energy that brought the music of Beethoven, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn richly to life.

Early pieces by Beethoven, ‘Piano trio in E flat major, Opus 1 No 1’, and Shostakovich, ‘Piano Trio No 1, Op.8’, featured in the first half of the programme, followed by Mendelssohn’s mature work, ‘Trio for Piano, violin and violoncello No 2, Op. 66, in C minor’.

Mendelssohn’s work showcased Kungsbacka’s skills especially in the second movement where the intensity of violin and cello was beautifully underpinned by piano. A work of energy and tension with a tumultuous finish, it was the perfect conclusion to the second half of the programme, and was followed by the slow movement from his better known D Minor piano trio as an encore.

What shone throughout was the rapport of the ensemble, and their joy of bringing classical music to a live audience.

Beethoven’s trio in E flat major, written while the composer was still a teenager, had its premiere in a private house in Vienna in the presence of his then teacher, Haydn. Influenced by Mozart, and with the weight of musical tradition informing his work, Beethoven is still his own man even at this early stage.

The opening allegro gives way to the composer’s individual imagination in the following three movements. Like Shostakvich’s ‘Piano Trio No 1’, which was written in the throes of passion at the age of 16, Beethoven’s trio reveals some of what is to come in later years in terms of his range of expression and the development of musical language that was to become his signature.

These pieces are symphonic, expansive and are truly remarkable for their youthful accomplishment.

The way that instruments are sublimely woven together is beautifully illustrated in Beethoven’s second movement, ‘Adagio Cantabile’, where solo piano is joined in turn by violin and cello. Each instrument bares its soul to the audience, and the interplay between them was a joy to listen to.

The Kungsbacka trio not only have incredible technical ability but also a deep understanding of the music they perform. The most immediate of all our senses, sound can sometimes be the most emotive as well.

Shostakovich’s ‘Piano Trio No 1’ in one movement takes the listener on a journey through variations. It is swooning, painful, tender, heady and feverish, a mixture of romantic sentiment and the discord of modern musical language, the perfect choice for a Valentine’s Day performance!

Written in 1923 and dedicated to his fiancée Tatya Glivenko, it is an early and emotionally powerful work. I could not help wondering what affect this music might have on an audience of the same age today, though there were no young people present at the performance, with the exception of three children accompanying a parent.

With these two early pieces by Beethoven and Shostakovich so ripe with possibilities, it seemed ironic that the audience was overwhelmingly in the sneior category.

It did make me wonder what is being done in the Highlands in terms of audience development, especially for non traditional forms of music, and awareness of classical music in particular. Although it was a full house in the Town House, if audiences are not developed this will not be the case in ten years time.

Perhaps concerts to introduce young people to live music through organisations such as Lifescan, the Inverness Chamber Music Society and Eden Court Theatre could ensure that every school age child has exposure to music regardless of background.

Simon Crawford–Phillips praised the new Bosendorfer grand piano installed in the Town House as “a wonderful addition to music making in Inverness” what would be an even greater addition is an expansion of the audience to hear it being played.

© Georgina Coburn, 2007