SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Geoffrey Trabichoff, violin (guest artist Jill Rowley, violin, substituting)

David Johnson, viola

Samuel Smith, cello

Guest Artist: Robyn Wells, piano

Vaughan Williams: Three Short Pieces for String Trio [tr. Bussick from Six Teaching Pieces for Pianoforte, 1934, Books II and III]
Purcell: Fantasias [in three parts] 1, 2, & 3
Elgar:  Salut d’Amour (“Liebesgruss”), Op 12 (1888) [Jill Rowley, Robyn Wells]
Rebecca Clarke: Sonata for Viola and Piano (1919): I, Impetuoso [David Johnson, Robyn Wells]
Donald Francis Tovey: Elegiac Variations, Op 25 (1909) [Samuel Smith, Robyn Wells]
Lennox Berkeley: String Trio, Op 19 (1943)


The Langroise Trio opened its 2009/2010 season with this all-British music program without the participation of their leader, violinist Geoffrey Trabichoff who has not quite yet recovered from an illness. He was ably represented by his colleague, Jill Rowley. A graduate of the University of Michigan, formerly a first violinist with the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, she toured Europe for 203 performances with the Harlem Opera Ensemble before assuming her current positions as Assistant Concertmaster of the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra and first violinist of the Boise Philharmonic String Quartet. Ms. Rowley blended her sound easily with the other trio members, no surprise since she is used to performing with them as fellow section leaders in the BPO.

The Trio’s performances of the Vaughan Williams Trios immediately followed by Purcell Fantasias in Three Parts pointed up the similarities and differences in the music.The V-W trios, enhanced by their journey from keyboard to string instruments, are as much absolute music as the Purcell works. The third V-W trio, labelled canon, demonstrated how canonic development is an important part of the “Vaughan Williams sound.” Although the fantasia form was considered old fashioned when Purcell wrote these works, these precursors to the fugue always sound fresh and new, played here in crisp but affectionate American style performances.

Ms. Rosley, ably accompanied by Ms. Wells, played  Elgar's  Salut d’Amour with a clear tone and just the right amount of portamento — not to much, not too little—and dedicated it to G.T., Geoffrey Trabichoff, who was present in the hall to receive the good wishes of the audience and musicians.

I am used to David Johnson’s beautiful, rich tone but I was nevertheless astounded and thrilled by his performance of the Rebecca Clarke Sonata (first movement only). Ms. Clarke was British but lived most of her life in America; after the brief popularity of her sonata, she and her work were forgotten for 90 years. The work lies right in the most sensuous range of the instrument, the deep mezzo soprano, and David played with heavy passion. It was brand new music to me, but something I want to hear again and again. We only hope he records the whole work soon.

The Tovey work is familiar to me, and there are two recordings of it on CD, but to the audience it was brand new, a revelation, easily the most popular work on the program. The program notes, copied from Groves’, repeat the tiresome cliché (apparently promulgated by Sir Adrian Boult) that Tovey was a great prose writer but his music is derivative and uninteresting. If people get more chances to her it its true value may someday soon be properly appreciated. The Berkeley work is clever and touching, obviously a lot of fun to play, full of intriguing patterns and good humor, leaving the musicians and audience in a festive mood.

The audience, which included the new president of College of Idaho and his wife, was raptly attentive and appreciative. There were many school age children in the audience and they all behaved perfectly, but one misbehaving adult brought an infant into the hall; fortunately, the child only crooned loudly a couple of times during breaks, not really interrupting the music. Only one old lady forgot to turn off her cell phone, but it only rang once during a pause so, fortunately, there was little harm done, as she and her friends shouted at each other.

Paul Shoemaker