Acclaim
Acclaimed trio delivers to form
05 May 2011
Performing at yesterday's Wednesday lunchtime concert in Marama Hall was NZTrio.
Violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins, three of this country's top classical musicians, began performing together in 2002 and, now internationally acclaimed, they regularly travel abroad to perform.
NZTrio is particularly known for some brilliant interpretations of contemporary works, and yesterday was no exception. Swing Shift - Groove Boxes was the opener. A piece by American contemporary composer Kenji Bunchs, which captures the atmosphere of New York City between dusk and dawn, the work opens with strong pulsating pizzicatos, inviting the piano to participate. Layers of textured syncopation, bluesy chords and melodic strands continue at speed, unrelenting, and from which there is no dismounting. NZTrio stayed triumphantly in the saddle till the finish line.
Chris Adams is the current Mozart Fellow at University of Otago. His Jekyll Rat was written for NZTrio. A complex work in three movements which opens with Me ne frego, a thin, rather wishy-washy entry, before the body of the piece explodes with a mix and match of textures and themes.The final movement, Insanity represented by Mustard Yellow, featured violent passages with hideous climaxes, frenetic melodies and outrageous textures. Introducing his work, the composer spoke of politicians, one in particular having been his inspiration.
After the contemporary entry, Brahms' Piano Trio No 1 in B, Op 8 seemed sublimely orchestral. The Scherzo was delightfully skittish and bold and the trio's overall interpretation was magnificent throughout.
Elizabeth Bouman - Otago Daily Times