Eaton Square Concerts
Gould Piano Trio
15 March 2007
If it's classical concerts you love, the sounds of an impeccably balanced piano, violin and cello ensemble performing selections from some of the world's most beloved composers should be music to your sophisticated ears...
In other words, you'd love the Gould Piano Trio. The group opened the Eaton Square Concert series with a moderately crowded show at St. Peter's Church in Belgravia on 15 March, impressing upon the audience why it was short-listed by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2006 as one of the UK's three most outstanding chamber groups.
The trio - which consists of Lucy Gould on violin, Alice Neary on cello and Benjamin Frith on piano - began the evening with Franz Schubert's Notturno in E flat, a simultaneously blissful and jaunty attention grabber.
Next up came an impassioned rendition of Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor Op. 66, composed by Felix Mendelssohn. The melodic and mysterious second piece was a good choice to show off the group's big, pure sound. If you had closed your eyes, you might have imagined you were listening to a surround sound system; music usually doesn't resonate so cleanly without studio editing.
Closing with Johannes Brahms' Trio No. 1 in B major Op. 8, the Gould Piano Trio kept the energy up and left the audience craving more after the final chord. Overall, the ensemble is a delight to hear and to watch - all three members are highly animated as they perform.
The trio is scheduled for several more UK performances this year, so if you'd like to sample its sounds for yourself, visit www.gouldpianotrio.com to check show listings. One of the group's concerts would make a nice date if you're trying to impress a more cultured love interest. With a concert length of about two hours, though, it's probably not a wise idea to bring young children, as was proven at the St. Peter's concert when a small child began singing during a dramatic pause in one number.
The Eaton Square Concerts continue next Thursday (22 March) with internationally-reputed pianist Leon McCawley, followed by the Cappa Quartet on 29 March, Tonus Peregrinus on 19 April and countertenor Robin Blaze with lutenist David Miller on 26 April.
- Jill Hilbrenner