Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 23 Nov 2016
The Zukerman Trio is a world class ensemble, comprising the iconic Pinchas Zukerman (violin), after whom the trio obviously takes its name, Amanda Forsyth (cello) and Angela Cheng (piano).
This evening they presented a program designed to showcase their individual talents, which they clearly have in abundance, as well as the rich diversity of the repertoire available for this particular trio of instruments. The program comprised Seven Pieces for Violin and Cello (Op 39) by Reinhold Glière, Piano Trio No 2 in E minor (op 67) by Dmitri Shostakovich, and Piano Trio in B flat (D898) by Franz Schubert. Collectively the three compositions traversed the romantic, neo-baroque and modern nationalistic idioms, and immersed us in spiky dance meters, consonance contrasted with ear-catching dissonance, and deeply affecting melodies that would fade gently to an excruciatingly silence.
The trio played without affectation. Vigorous passages were executed with the same calm and authority as the most delicate phrases. There were glimpses of ‘attitude’ as Forsyth looked briefly but deeply in Zukerman’s direction, or when Cheng would arch her back and then lean heavily into a forté section to set the synchronisation, or when Zukerman would deliberately sit forward in his chair and stare absorbedly at his music.
But, the music doesn’t stand alone or speak for itself. It needs to be interpreted and lifted from the page. The Zukerman Trio’s performance was decidedly and abundantly competent, but it needed more spirit. There was a glimmer of ‘chutzpah’ in the Glière, and more so in the Jewish folk melodies of the Shostakovich, but their performance of the Schubert was clinical and at times heavy handed. It lacked the requisite light and shade, and playfulness.
Despite one’s misgivings and musings as to why the Adelaide Symphony banners should be suspended over a trio rather than a full orchestra, the audience expressed great appreciation and some were driven to a standing ovation and to wolf whistling, and left with the uber-melodic strains of Schubert still in their ears.
Kym Clayton
When: 23 Nov
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
