Da Vinci Piano Trio at Keswick Music Society
The new season of Keswick Music Society started with a fine concert of piano trio music. The Da Vinci Trio played four pieces showing the spread of music in this genre: Beethoven innovating by treating each instrument as an individual, Mendelssohn filling the hall with cascades of notes and contrasting the drawn strings with the percussive piano. The student Dimitri Shostakovich exploring various styles which came to feature highly in his later works and the Estonian Arvo Pӓrt treating the trio almost orchestrally.
Anthony Moffat (violin) introduced the programme, saying that the combined age of all the instruments being played tonight was more than 600 years. Taking the Steinway piano of the Keswick Music Society as being about 25 years old and itself capable of a fine rounded tone, we were treated to the mature tones of very old string instruments played in the modern style. Indeed in the Beethoven trio first in the programme, there were times when the modern style instruments were sounding like a period style performance, the piano reminding of the delicate timbre of a fortepiano. Also remarkably loud, when required.
The violin and cello matched wonderfully for the exchanges in the Beethoven and in the handing-on of Mendelssohn’s themes, both tribute to the instruments and the closeness of the ensemble of the Da Vinci Trio players.
Warm applause from this attentive and knowledgeable audience. It was a good turnout too; this is the 77th season of the Keswick Music Society bringing great music and musicians to Keswick.
A reminder of how satisfying a balanced programme of complete works can be as a musical experience, especially in a small venue.
Beethoven Trio Op.1 No.1 in E Flat (1795)
Arvo Pärt Mozart Adagio (1992)
Dimitri Shostakovich Trio No.1 in C minor Op.8 (1924)
Mendelssohn Trio in D Minor Op.49 (1839)
Da Vinci Piano Trio
Anthony Moffat, violin
Rudi de Groote, cello
Liivi Arder, piano