To open Musica Viva’s final concert series for 2018, the Benedetti Elschenbroich Grynyuk Trio explored Richard Strauss’ bellowing, brooding Cello Sonata in F Major, followed by the operatic heights of his Violin Sonata in E Flat major. In full ensemble mode, the trio delved into the musical wordplay of Australian composer Gordon Kerry’s Im Winde, and closed out the evening with Johannes Brahms’ Piano Trio No 2 in C Major. It was an eclectic and atypical program for a piano trio, full of colour and excitement, and clearly designed to showcase the individual and collective talents of what Carl Vine describes as ‘a piano trio with the least pronounceable name in the world’.

The Benedetti Elschenbroich Grynyuk Trio 

The trio’s name, of course, derives from the surnames of its three members: Nicola Benedetti (violin), Leonard Elschenbroich (cello), and Alexei Grynyuk (piano). All have acclaimed international solo careers, but have been playing together since they were young music students. Their trio made their concert debut almost a decade ago and have since performed across the major venues of Europe and beyond. In between, Benedetti, on the back of astounding musicianship and dynamism, has managed...