The Kahlichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio gave a concert Friday night in the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall that was unabashedly, unapologetically, even aggressively Romantic.
The trio–Joseph Kalichstein on piano, Jaime Laredo on violin and Sharon Robinson on cello–has commissioned and recorded works by contemporary composers. But on this occasion, the three chose to adapt their percussive, hard-edged style to lesser-known Romantic classics.
Kalichstein, apparently the intellectual and musical leader of the group, wrote a series of entertaining and even puckish program notes, in which he tried to have us believe that the gorgeous music the trio delivered was filled with death and menace. The program notes used words such as “foreboding,” “downright scary,” “evil” and “deathlike.”
Kalichstein may have been putting us on, for the exuberant and lively playing of the trio belied any hint of darkness, and the performance was open, joyous, singing.
The trio has an unerring sense of ensemble; its members listen to each other and even seem to breathe together. Intonation is flawless, and vibrato is narrow.
Kalichstein is a powerful model for the trio with his crisp, often blistering attacks. It is a different aesthetic than pianist Menahem Pressler gives to Beaux Arts, the only trio that arguably can be compared to this trio.
Beethoven’s Opus 70, No. 1, the “Ghost” Trio, which opened the evening, was an audacious rocket that virtually exploded unexpectedly into a minor third, serving notice that this wouldn’t be an evening of sweetness and light Romanticism.
Then followed Mendelssohn’s C-Minor Trio, Opus 66, full of contrapuntal references to J.S. Bach, whom Mendelssohn was championing. The third movement featured a gutsy accelerando with a mobile quality.
After intermission, we heard Brahms’ B-Major Trio, Opus 8 (second version), which the composer reworked and tightened, removing 458 measures. The musicians had a field day with their vigorous attacks, which at times lifted them out of their chairs. The work ends with a hauntingly beautiful melody delivered by the cello, reminding us that we were hearing the best of Romantic chamber writing and performance.
