A quartet of works, three by British-born composers, is here
conjoined under the astral supertitle, Zodiac, which is the name
Mathias gave to his own Op.70 Trio. It’s an opportunity
for the Aureole Trio - secondary meaning, the sun’s corona,
so not an inappropriately named group - to explore some less
well explored crevices of these composers’ worklists.
Mathias wrote his Trio in 1976. Each movement is given a name
- Pisces, Aries and Taurus - and was composed for a specific
member of the original trio for which it was written. Cleverly
wrought and strongly characterised it makes for a fine curtain
raiser. Pisces is duly slippery, murky, but the sparkling bright
flute over harp and richly eloquent viola lends it a flecked
appeal. One might be reminded a little of Prokofiev in Aries
with its yearning reverie of bittersweet intensity whilst Taurus
briefly returns to the glittering drama of the opening movement
before some strong harmonic interplay leads to a vital and masculine
finish.
Richard Rodney Bennett’s
Sonata after Syrinx owes
an obvious debt to Debussy, even to the extent of briefly quoting
from
Syrinx, but this is a basis for development, not
a homage that gets stuck in the rivulets of the past. Within
its quarter of an hour span Bennett fashions a tempo changing
and evocatively harmonised opus, of which the scherzo section
is perhaps the most immediately appealing. Here the writing is
full of variety and vivacity, quivering with giddy warmth. Bax’s
Elegiac Trio is the most compact of the four works and it’s
played here with warmth and lyricism. Its fluidity is well maintained.
Jan Bach is an American composer and French horn player - he
played at John F Kennedy’s funeral during his Army days
- and his Eisteddfod is based on a Welsh harp tune. The variations
employ a finely gauged interplay between the instruments and
though its bardic origins are clear enough they’re not
pummelled. Fortunately Bach knows when to lighten the temperature
and his scherzo section is convivial and perky. The flighty flute
song over supple harp undercurrent is especially good - the flute
is an active participant, the viola, whilst also loquacious,
a rather more sombre entrant. A fine work.
The performances are sensitive and finely textured. With good
notes and an unproblematic recording this may be more of a niche
purchase, but it’s a very good niche purchase.
Jonathan Woolf
Aureole Trio 
