October 4, 2011
(click on image to return)
The Eaken Piano Trio, September 23, 2011
We could not have chosen a finer ensemble to begin what promises to be an outstanding Guest Artist Series this season. The Eaken Piano Trio--Gloria Whitney, piano; John Eaken, violin; and Andrew Rammon, cello--lived up to its critically acclaimed reputation as well as the audience's memories of the Trio's last appearance here in 2005. The program was varied, interesting, and superbly executed.The program began with single movements from works by two very different composers, Mozart and Mendelssohn. The Allegro from Mozart's Trio in E Major was crisp, bright, and lively; while the Mendelssohn, from his Trio in C minor, was lush, dramatic, and emotional. The Trio's playing presented this musical contrast with perfect execution; I felt as if I were in a music class given by the best of instructors!
Gerald Shapiro's Trio No. 1 came next, and it was another study in contrasts. John Eaken explained that Shapiro, chair of the music department at Brown University and a personal friend, is a prolific contemporary composer. I am usually suspicious of modern music, but these pieces were a treat to my very traditional ears. The first movement, "Whimsical," was imaginative and graceful. The second, called "Scherzando a La Russe," was in a style called Third Stream, which means simply that it incorporates jazz styles. That made it great fun to hear, with lots of syncopation and unexpected rhythms. The Shapiro piece was a asset to the program, for sure.
The first half of the program ended with Gershwin, and why not? The Eaken Trio has put out a whole CD of Gershwin pieces, and their arrangements are terrific. "A Foggy Day" was moody and complicated, and the Three Preludes, all very familiar, are truly spectacular to hear live.
After the intermission the single work played was Brahms's Trio in C minor, which is what John Eaken correctly called one of the very best piano trios ever written. John chatted a bit about this famous piece: It was written very late in Brahms's career, in 1886, and published in 1887, and he fiddled around with it even after its debut, finally completing his rewrites in 1891--six years before he died. The four movements of this beautiful, powerful trio showed off all three instruments; sometimes the piano had long solos, sometimes the two strings played together, more often all three blended together as one musical entity. The encore brought us back to the present with a very jazzy Gershwin piece called "Slap that Bass!"
The Eaken Piano Trio has a real fan base here in Bedford; we appreciate their professionalism and talent. And for anyone over the age of 60 in the audience with even slightly arthritic fingers, watching Gloria Whitney play a whole evening of perfect piano music was inspiring.
Nancy MacRae