On a sunny but chilly Sunday afternoon, the Gryphon Trio gave a lackluster performance to close the Northwestern Winter Chamber Festival at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston. Although the playing was not great, the program choices certainly were: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 5 in D-Major, Op. 70 no.1 Ghost, Bruce Russell’s we have lived before, and Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio no. 1 in B-flat Major, D.898.
Before performing the first piece, pianist Jamie Parker explained that this concert closed this Canadian ensemble’s 30th season. Prior to each piece he also gave excellent explanations of the music to be performed. The other two members of the Gryphon Trio are a married couple, violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon and cellist Roman Borys.
Individually they generally played well, but as an ensemble, Parker’s piano and Borys' cello interacted nicely, but Patipatanakoon’s violin never stood out. It was as if a sound engineer had lowered the treble in the mix. Intonation was generally good, but things did waver a bit toward the end. With the violin so quiet, there was no spark in the performance. It felt like a soda pop that had no fizz.
They also ignored the repeats requested by Beethoven and Schubert. Beethoven was very deliberate in calling for repeats. In my humble opinion his request for a repeat should be honored.
The first half of the concert was centered around the Ghost trio, one of Beethoven’s most far-out works. It got its name from the middle movement, a slow Largo assai ed espressivo that gets downright spooky. It’s bookended by two rambunctious outer movements that create a marvelous contrast. Excellent performances draw these contrasts out; this one not so much.
In 2020 the Gryphon Trio commissioned the Canadian composer Bruce Russell to compose a trio inspired by Beethoven’s Ghost trio. As Parker explained, their intention was to perform them both at the same time.
Russell, who is Black, dedicated we have lived before to the memory of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Regis Korchinski-Paquette. Russell wrote in the program notes that he was also inspired by the depressed emotional state Beethoven was experiencing at this time in Vienna. As such, it is a work filled with self-reflection. And it works!
Like the Ghost Trio, we have lived before has three movements. The opening “Dyad” features choppy chords on the piano right hand and rills on the left. Overlaying this is a duet played by the violin and cello. Russell wrote that it represents two of his ancestors leaving the American south during the great migration. At the end, the movement resolves quietly, and the two people blend into the sunset. While the performance was lacking, it was still enjoyable.
Especially stark was the middle movement, “say their names.” As Russell explained, “the music alludes to the unceasing media reports of Black victims to police brutality, White supremacy, and gun violence. He added, it “denotes the collective grief that is an ever-present aspect of Black life.” Musically it succeeds. Patterns from Beethoven are obvious, but Russell’s piece is strikingly new and different.
Following intermission, Schubert’s first piano trio was on offer. It’s a marvelous work. As Parker explained, it’s very dance-like and upbeat. Unfortunately, the same issues that marred the first half of the concert continued after intermission. It was OK, but not great.
When the last notes sounded, the audience response was polite but unmoved. Nobody jumped to their feet until a handful of people stood when the Gryphon Trio returned to the stage. A few more rose for their second, final bows.
The Bienen School of Music hosts the Northwestern Winter Chamber Music Festival every January. At other times, it hosts many concerts in the two adjacent concert halls on campus. For more information, click here.