Melbourne Piano Trio

The newly formed Melbourne Piano Trio – comprising violinist Ji Won Kim, cellist Chris Hewlett, and pianist Hoang Pham – came to this concert boasting a successful debut in America that will see them returning before the year is out. The ensemble faced some challenges on the night: a world premiere of a difficult piece, an audience with some restless younger members – and, for Ji Won Kim, a cough which interfered with her bowing. And yet the concert was a triumph. The program was well-chosen and all three players have recognition as fine musicians in their own right, well able to master the three demanding works on the program. But it was the accord between the three – evident from the first few bars – that gave the Melbourne Piano Trio its assured, professional sound. Beeth¬oven’s Trio in D major, op70 no1 is known as the ‘Ghost’ Trio thanks to elements in the second movement. Hoang Pham remarked in his introduction that the vibrant contrasts of the piece were exciting – and certainly the playing made it so. The opening inspired confidence as there was a cohesive approach to its unison runs and scales. The pianist delivered a limpid flow of notes as the violin, then cello, picked up the melody, with a harmonious balance right up to the four soft unison notes that rounding off the first section. The audience couldn’t wait, but applauded loudly – even before the movement that gave the trio its name. At first the strings were prominent, but the piano soon found a gentle ‘resting-place’ from which it asserted itself – not in volume, but in its steadiness and ghost-like wavering energy. Kim’s violin produced music of extraordinary sweetness and maturity, and the cello followed suit. The dialogue with the piano was testament to the harmonic beauty of Beethoven, something that can be lost in the sheer power of the composer’s larger works. The final movement’s energetic presto presented a different kind of challenge and, while not all passages were equally crisp, the players’ regular ‘checking in’ with each other was the secret of their impressive timing. The central work in the program – and the one of greatest interest – was the world premiere of Paul Dean’s Fractured Moments, written specifically for the Melbourne Piano Trio. An intensely personal work, it reflects on the composer’s father’s descent into Alzheimers. The opening of ‘Distorted signals’ was so quiet that it was unclear when the music had started, but soon there was a soft dialogue between violin and cello. As this segued into the “raging” of ‘Do not go gentle’ (inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem) the trio’s perfect timing and understanding held them in good stead. ‘Episodes’, with its often discordant and strident sound, revealed a virtuosity in the players – and an extraordinary sound from the piano, like a clock or chime or bell. Finally, ‘Dying of the light’ had the cello creating a mood of deep sorrow, with the piano and violin following suit. The sound was minimal as the work moved to the final ‘Vigil’ – and, I regret to say, was rudely interrupted by a mobile phone going off immediately behind me. It was clearly audible to all in the hall, particularly when its owner proceeded to answer it! It ruined the ending of the work for me, but I joined in the loud and well-deserved applause for the composer and the Trio at the end. (I was just surprised that Paul Dean didn’t throttle the mobile-offender who had ruined the ending of his fine work!). Dvorak always provides the litmus test for chamber ensembles, so it was fitting that the concert ended with his Trio no 3 in F minor, op 65. The Melbourne Piano Trio triumphed in this, as in the other works on the program, capturing its intensity and harmonic sweetness. They could have performed on any concert stage in the world and been as acclaimed as they were at this promising debut in Melbourne. Melbourne Piano Trio melbournepianotrio.com National Tour: Australian National Academy of Music, South Melbourne, June 7 Pilgrim Church, Adelaide, June 15 The Independent Theatre, Sydney, June 17