★★★½ ☆ Internationally acclaimed trio delivers stellar Chausson if Beethoven underwhelms.

Adelaide Town Hall
November 9, 2016

From a piano trio more inspired by a precious marble from the Chinese city of Dali than the Spanish surrealist painter, it seams reasonable to expect a certain level of polish and refined craftsmanship as befitting its evocative name. For their Adelaide concert, violinist Jack Liebeck, cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca and pianist Amandine Savary presented a beautifully balanced programme of piano trios by Beethoven, Smalley and Chausson on their second national tour for Musica Viva.

As if caught off guard by the cavernous acoustics of the Adelaide Town Hall, the Trio attempted to overcompensate for lost clarity in Beethoven’s early Piano Trio in E Flat, Op. 1. With the piano at full stick, pianist Amandine Savary endeavoured never to drown out her companions, employing the una corda pedal almost ubiquitously. But in doing so, her tone lacked the steely clarity it needed to really project, and much of her impressive passagework became lost in the mix as the violin and cello often dominated. There was plenty of fine playing throughout, with dramatic contrasts well enunciated and cadences precisely synchronised, while phrases passed from one instrument to another in an often intimate exchange. But the encapsulation of character failed to convince: their supremely elegant aesthetic had the cumulative effect of sounding feminine, at odds with the inherently muscular character of the work, and bereft of that quintessentially Beethovenian chutzpah.

Although a very fine pianist indeed, Savary’s dependence on the una corda – which remained almost consistently depressed throughout all four movements – meant the special magic this pedal affords quickly lost its appeal, its currency devalued through overuse. Most importantly, it precluded a larger variety of tonal colours that would have contributed toward producing a more masculine Beethoven. But on occasions, her consistently mellow tone worked well, as in the concluding chords of the Adagio cantabile, where her fingers were like feathers dusting the keys. Savary’s control at the softest extremes of the dynamic spectrum was consistently impressive, with scarcely a bump in the melodic line. Jack Liebeck and Christian-Pierre La Marca were solid throughout, but neither possessed the zeal and conviction required to elevate the performance into something more memorable. Perhaps some more rehearsal time in the venue would have made all the difference.

Roger Smalley’s Piano Trio presented a stark, refreshing contrast. Trio Dali seemed more in their element here, with the clarity issues that afflicted their Beethoven dissipating even as they navigated the many virtuosic chromatic ascents. La Marca excelled throughout, creating a prickly sense of foreboding, while Liebeck was darkly philosophical. In the piano, the una corda was finally lifted as the left foot was retracted to support some thunderous chords. The concluding smorzando was immaculately controlled. Let’s hope it becomes a staple in their repertoire.

Whilst the Smalley was given the attention it deserved, Trio Dali’s natural affinity with French music was unmistakable. Despite this tour for Musica Viva marking the first time they have ever played the Chausson Piano Trio in G Minor, it was nevertheless immeasurably better suited to their style and temperament, which proved a perfect match for the underplayed masterpiece. Savary’s use of una corda – before a vice, here a virtue – was employed judiciously at key moments to heighten the dramatic effect, enhancing the dichotomy between innocence and tragedy with the violent interjections that conclude the first movement.

The second movement was no less absorbing, with Savary exhibiting marvellous fluidity through rippling semiquavers, while Liebeck’s violin adroitly navigated through modulations from major to minor with verve and vigour. The zenith of the evening was undoubtedly the achingly elegiac third movement, Assez lent, where all three musicians were exceedingly good. Here, cellist Christian Pierre La Marca really shone, enveloping the hall with a dark, sepulchral energy. Once again, their ability to produce the softest pianissimos was mesmeric, and with the una corda now in its rightful place, a rarefied sound of exquisite and sublime beauty was produced. The Trio still managed to find some moments of lightness and comedy in the scintillating finale, providing a memorable conclusion to a work which deserves to be heard more frequently in Australia. If only Trio Dali had performed an entirely French programme, this might have been a very fine evening of chamber music indeed.

Trio Dali tour for Musica Viva until November 19.

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