The internationally acclaimed Amelio Trio travelled from Germany to open West Wight Arts’ new season in front of a packed Island audience.
The trio of young musicians – Johanna Schubert on violin, Merle Geissler on cello and Philipp Kirchner on piano – have been playing together since they were just 13 and have already won several major competitions.
Now in their mid-20s, the musicians demonstrated the close musical relationship they have developed over more than a decade of performing together.
They began with a trio by Haydn, immediately displaying their strong understanding of one another. The lift of an eyebrow or the slightest nod provided a shorthand which each musician understood and responded to.
The 2-movement piece requires precision and timing, while also displaying the light-heartedness and optimism characteristic of much of Haydn’s work.
Next came Schumann’s Piano Trio No.3 in G minor, a romantic work written 2 years before the composer’s attempted suicide.
His conflicted state of mind can be heard throughout, with dramatic passages giving way to softer, more lyrical sections across its 4 movements.
It would be easy for the piano to surge above the 2 string players, but the Amelio Trio demonstrated a masterful understanding of the dynamics of the work, achieving a beautifully combined tone.
The musicians then turned to Lera Auerbach’s Piano Trio No.1. Auerbach composed its first 2 movements in 1992, after leaving the Soviet Union and finding herself alone in the West, uncertain whether she would see her family again. She completed the work in 1996.
The Amelio Trio were at their best in this technically demanding work, which requires considerable virtuosity from all 3 musicians.
Their final piece was Brahms’ Piano Trio No.3 in C minor, the composer’s final work in the form.
The majesty and lyricism of Brahms’ composition allowed Schubert, Geissler and Kirchner to give full rein to their individual talents while maintaining the close ensemble playing that had characterised the concert.
The packed audience gave the trio an ecstatic reception at the close of the concert, with many hoping the Amelio Trio will return to the West Wight in the not-too-distant future.
