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The Chihara Trio
Weill Recital Hall at
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
March 25, 2010
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The Chihara
Trio, formed in 2009 and comprised of Penn State School of Music
faculty members Anthony J. Costa on clarinet, violist Timothy Deighton and pianist Enrico Elisi, performed a diverse array of
works that were sometimes interrelated in subtle, yet special
ways. The clarinet/viola/piano trio repertoire isn’t often
heard, so the forming of this ensemble was a great idea. The
trio’s inaugural season has included performances throughout
Pennsylvania and Maryland, and they made their New York debut
with this concert.
The highlight
of this program—as I expected—was Mozart’s inspired Trio in
E-flat from 1786. Not only is it one of Mozart’s most beautiful
works, it was given a splendid performance by the Chihara Trio.
Deighton’s technical aplomb and precision during the notoriously
tricky Menuetto movement were very impressive.
The group
takes its name from Paul Chihara, whose new work Images was also
featured on the program. This work is light-hearted and fun—pure
and simple. The joy comes from anxiously awaiting musical
quotes, which runs the gamut from Brahms to Schoenberg to
Ellington. The work should be performed often. The trio made it
clear why they dedicated their name to this composer, as they
played every note with affection and devotion.
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Schumann’s
Fairy Tales, Op. 132, composed just three years prior to the
composer’s untimely death in an insane asylum, is an uneven
work, and the trio’s phrasing and dynamics needed more forward
movement and exaggeration to pull off some of the awkward
transitions. The last movement, for example, felt a bit
sluggish.
The ensemble
also performed Ad infinitum, composed by Kye Ryung Park.
The notes C, D and E, which are used often and in a myriad of
ways, are derived from the first letters of the trio members’
last names. So this was evidently an evening sponsored by the
mutual admiration society; Park’s aforementioned subtle
dedication to members of the trio, the trio dedicating their
name to Chihara, and Chihara himself paying homage to a long
list of influential composers.
-Anthony Aibel
for New York
Concert Review; New York, NY
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