Lammermuir Festival: Coffee Concert VI: Trio Gaspard
Holy Trinity Church, Haddington - 14/09/23
The second of Trio Gaspard’s recitals at the Lammermuir Festival occupied the Coffee Concert slot on the morning of 14th September at the customary venue of Holy Trinity Church in Haddington. If their first programme had been focussed (on romantic Czech masterpieces), their second was truly eclectic, with two Haydn trios and two Scottish premieres of works by Sally Beamish and Kit Armstrong, concluding with Schumann’s Op.88 Fantasiestücke.
Haydn wrote 45 Piano Trios, but No.26 in C-minor is the first to show the beginnings of a change, wrought entirely by Haydn himself, which was to lead to the genre as we know it, making him not only the “Father of the Symphony” and the “Father of the String Quartet”, but also the “Father of the Piano Trio”. No.26 has only two movements and there is much of the ‘Trio-Sonata’ and ‘Accompanied Piano Sonata’ about it but, for the first time, the string players, especially the violin, are no mere accompanists but get to handle and drive forward some thematic material, including leading some variations in the theme-and-variations first movement and full participation in the antics of the witty rambunctious triple-time finale, including false starts, cheeky phrases with the rhythm (to modern audiences) of ‘Happy Birthday to You’, and prim passages of mock sobriety. It was played with the same commitment and richness of tone and expression as the Slavic music of the previous night, but rather more smiles and playfulness. A thorough delight enthusiastically received by the Haddington audience. Pianist Nicholas Rimmer welcomed the audience with prefatory remarks introducing the rest of the programme.
Sally Beamish’s ‘Trance’, commissioned by Trio Gaspard to be performed with Haydn trios and premiered in June of this year at the West Cork Festival, is a meditative piece with a starring role for the cello (compensating for its somewhat Cinderella role in most of Haydn’s trios). The significance of Haydn’s spectral F#-minor Trio No. 40 to the composer, inextricably bound up with memories of her violinist mother, rehearsing Haydn trios while Sally played under the piano, explains why elements of the Trio are woven into the score, rarely overtly yet always present. ‘Trance’ is dedicated to the memory of Sally’s mother. A slow tread of piano chords (with, at one point, birdsong-imitative ornaments reminiscent of Messiaen) underpin lyrical string melodies, mainly on cello with violin comments. Lovely morendo ending on solo cello, played with great sensitivity by Vashti Hunter. Quite moving.
By Trio No.36 in E-flat major, Haydn’s ‘democratisation’ of the parts is complete and the three players are equal partners, at least in the first movement. The result is a chunky sonata-form Allegro moderato with every ounce of the gravitas to be found in the Op.76 quartets. The Poco adagio (which was played andante but felt just right) is admittedly the piano’s showpiece, but there are wee moments of ‘conversation’ too. The triple-time Allegro finale, way too fast and syncopated to be a danceable minuet, is a typically witty Haydn romp, complete with three tongue-in-cheek cadenzas, one exaggeratedly flamboyant one for violin (played con brio by Jonian Ilias Kadesha) and two shorter ones for piano, the last of which launches the coda. Fabulous characterful playing.
In his introductory remarks, Nicholas had mentioned that pianist/composer Kit Armstrong has a keen interest in mathematics and, in particular, topology, and that the structure of his Piano Trio owes something to the topological idea of a revêtement, a ‘covering’ of a topological space by a map that preserves connectedness. Musically, this appears to have guided a three-movement structure, played without a break, where in each movement one instrument plots a solitary course while the other two ‘converse’. In the order of the movements, the ‘loner’ is cello, violin and piano respectively. Setting aside the sophistry, the actual music is engaging, intriguing and thrilling, very individual (though not without an element of Bartókian grit) and well worth a listen. Melodic fragments in different keys, tempi and metres appear and vanish mercurially, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes atmospheric. Exciting music performed with flair and skill. What’s not to like? It’s a thumbs-up from me.
The set of Schumann Fantasiestücke comprise a 4-movement piano trio in all but name and the pieces are even thematically related. The lilting opening Romanze features a melancholy folk-like melody, rendered with achingly beautiful mutually-responsive phrasing by all three players, and it was thoroughly excellent. The Humoreske begins and ends with a strutting march with witty stresses on the upbeats, bracketing a number of characterful episodes, the cheekiest using a typical Schumann dotted rhythm found in the first Trio of the Spring Symphony and the finale of the 4th, as well as countless other places. Delightful. The Duett, where a liquid rippling accompaniment on the piano underscores a love duet between the strings, was absolutely magical. I wrote in my notes: “This is what chamber music is all about”. The Marsch, related to that of the second piece, but not at all parodic, is developed through a series of contrapuntally ingenious episodes, eventually appearing to wind down to a calm conclusion, before a surprise flourish delivers a big finish. A great way to finish a concert.
Trio Gaspard bring a freshness and a commitment to chamber music playing and have begun a project to record all of the Haydn Trios for the Chandos label. Heartily recommended.
Cover photo: Andrej Grilc