Freshwater Trio

Freshwater Trio:

Zoë Black, violin

Josephine Vains, cello

Eidit Golder, piano

Phillip T Young Recital Hall
August 5, 2010

By Deryk Barker

In 1950 the pianist Paul Badura-Skoda was asked, at short notice, to deputise for Edwin Fischer in the legendary Schneiderhan-Fischer-Mainardi Trio.

During rehearsals, as he recalls, "On the basis of the impressions I had up to that time I threw myself with full force into the fortissimo passages of the Brahms Trio on the program - after all that is how my master Edwin had done it. But after a few measures Enrico Mainardi interrupted me: 'Young man, this is no piano concerto! If you play so loud, the strings won't be audible at all! A fortissimo in a chamber music work is not the absolute but the relative volume of sound. What objectively corresponds to a mezzo forte may give the impression of the greatest power here, even if the piano is correspondingly less loud and above all when an inner power of the soul comes to the fore.'"

While not wishing to cast aspersions at pianist Eidit Golder in particular, it seemed to me that the Freshwater Trio, making their Canadian debut at Thursday's final concert of this year's Victoria Summer Music Festival, were in severe need of someone to point out Mainardi's words to them, in particular the observation that "a fortissimo in a chamber music work is not the absolute but the relative volume of sound"; for, whatever the reason, these three clearly talented women all seemed possessed of what one would describe, in a driver, as a lead foot.

The evening seemed, however, to begin well. Haydn's Piano Trio in C, Hob XV:27 is a charming work and, for the most part, so was the performance. The opening allegro was relaxed yet spirited and balance between the instruments was very good. The second movement was similarly fine.

It was in the presto finale, though, that things began to take a wrong turn, with playing of an intensity which does not suit Haydn.

Unfortunately, this was merely a taster for the rest of the evening.

My first notes on the Brahms Piano Trio in C minor, Op.101, which followed the Haydn, were "big sound, but too fierce", a remark which, in many ways, sums up the entire performance.

There were undoubtedly moments - such as the more lyrical second subject of the opening movement - in which the players did not seem to be attempting to beat all previous records for sheer volume and intensity, but they were, alas, overshadowed by those passages in which the piano overbalanced the sound and the violin and cello, in attempting to be audible, unfortunately allowed intonation and purity of tone to suffer.

Dvoràk's "Dumky" Trio, which closed the concert, suffered similarly. Each of the movements, as is well known, is in the form of a Dumka, a Czech dance alternating slow and fast tempos. In each of the six movements, the slow passages were generally good and some of them were quite lovely.

But each fast section, although generally starting quietly and with real delicacy, soon deteriorated into overfast and overloud playing.

This trio came equipped with an overdrive and, by golly, they were bound and determined to use it at every opportunity - whether appropriate or not.

As for the two "arrangements" of movements from Schumann's Kinderszenen: well, perhaps "derangements" would be a better word.

Joe Chindamo's arrangement of Träumerei was at least recognisably based on that piece, although couched in harmonies which were distinctly un-Schumannesque.

Adam Starr, on the other hand, seemed determined to demolish the delightful innocence of Vom fremdern Ländern und Menschen - and, I have to say, he largely succeeded. It may seem a strong reaction, but I hated it.

The trio played these two pieces with dedication and skill, but could not convince at least one listener that they weren't simply wasting everyone's time.

I should, in all fairness, point out that my views of this concert were undoubtedly in the minority - judging from the enthusiastic reaction of the majority of the audience.