Halcyon @ The Di Menna Center

Above: pianist Ta-Wei Yu of the ensemble Halcyon

Monday August 26th, 2013 – Halcyon gave an evening of piano trios at the Di Menna Center, a high-ceilinged yet intimate space on the lower level of the Baryshnikov Arts Center building. The hall proved very felicitous for musical clarity, and an attentive and appreciative audience maintained a deep silence between the movements of each trio, rewarding the musicians with enthusiastic applause at the end of the evening.

Opening with the Arensky piano trio No.1 in D minor, the players immediately established themselves as technically accomplished and vividly communicative musicians. The opening movement glows with Tchaikovksian beauty of melody, suffused with shades of quiet longing. Violinist Hilary Castle, in a gorgeous ruby-red gown, brought a feeling of poignant lyricism to the opening theme, with pianist Ta-Wei Yu matching her in a sense of rhythmic flow. Cellist Luke Krafka’s velvety sound – a consistent pleasure all evening – seemed very much at home in this music which veers from feelings of melancholy to hope. The playful second movement materailizes as an ‘Arensky waltz’; this gives way to the poetic Elegia-Adagio where the playing of the three musicians was passionate and inspired. In the concluding movement, earlier themes re-appear as the piece builds to a dramatic conclusion.   

The second work, Haydn’s piano trio No.39 (“Gypsy”) in G major dates from 1795, during the composer’s time in London, and contains some of his most innovative
keyboard writing. The work also features solo passages
for the violin; if the cello is less prominent here, it does provide beautiful textures. Ta-Wei Yu’s nimble playing was very much to the fore here, with felicitous nuances of dynamic and colour. The three musicians attained a high level of expressiveness in the finely-moulded second movement: really impressive music-making. It’s the trio’s final ‘Hungarian’ rondo movement that has led to dubbing this piece the ‘Gypsy’ trio: here Ms. Castle went to town with her flourishes à la zingarese whilst the two gentlemen kept pace in a breath-taking rush to the finish. The musicians played with infectious joy.

I have a special place in my heart for the two Mendelssohn piano trios: they are my favorite chamber works and in fact it was a chance hearing of the first trio on the radio lo! these many decades ago that made me realize there’s other music beyond opera that is rewarding to hear. This evening, Halcyon played the Mendelssohn piano trio No.2 in C minor as their final offering and it was a wonderfully personal experience for me to hear it played live. The three players showed a lovely affinity for the work’s almost painfully beautiful melodies. The performance left me deeply satisfied and feeling at peace with the world.