Concert review by Bronislaw Sozanski...
Pianist Brian Chapman has been a regular visitor to Ballarat, performing uniquely interesting programs as a soloist and with a variety of instrumentalists. At the Ballarat Mechanics Institute on October 5th the audience was treated to an exciting and dramatic trio concert from three Russian composers, with a youthful work from Glinka, the piano concerto-like trio of Tchaikovsky and the magnificent second trio of Shostakovich. Violinist Susan Pierotti and ‘cellist Rosanne Hunt completed the ensemble.
Glinka’s Trio Pathetique in Dm belongs to a more western European tradition, with influences of the early romantics and even Beethoven. The writing is tight and balanced, with the four movements played without formal breaks. This was reflected in the disciplined ensemble playing, with the three musicians creating a homogenous texture while appropriately projecting the melodic lines.
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The tragic, wartime Russian experience within the Op.67 Trio of Shostakovich was thrillingly delivered. The broad range of string techniques and the intensely emotional harmonies and jagged melodic lines create a desolate landscape at times. The precision ensemble work, for example in the pizzicato passages, added to the overall intensity.
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The Tchaikovsky trio, Op.50, has its big piano part yet the texture remained balanced and poised. The solo piano sections, particularly the Mazurka within the second movement, certainly gave Chapman the scope to display virtuosity but the ensemble remained perfectly balanced throughout. As in the first two works on the program the excellent performance of music based on tragedy proved powerfully uplifting.
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Bronislaw Sozanski BA DepEd ATCL VMTA
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