Shalin Liu, the best concert venue on the North Shore, provided the perfect setting for the masterful Trio Bohémo from the Czech Republic Sunday afternoon. Superlatives can hardly describe the youthful vigor and vitality, immense dexterity, and deep musical concentration this threesome brought to the Rockport Chamber Music stage in works by Smetana, Dvořák, and Bohémo’s friend, Marios Christou.
Prior to Smetana’s Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 15, Andrew Shryock from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee offered an illuminating pre-concert talk. Shryock, who comically refers to himself as the “Rick Dees of classical music,” explicated the origins of the piano trio and how it grew out of the trio sonata when the piano began to become more prominent than the harpsichord. Having such a group was “a mark of distinction among the European one-percenters of the 17th and 18th centuries.” These combos, which became very popular, were often performed in homes. Therefore, the intimate atmosphere of Shalin Liu became an idyllic space for an evening of captivating music.
Much of Smetana’s heart-wrenching output reflects his reflection upon the death of his four-year-old daughter, Bedřiška, who “was precociously talented capable of speaking German at two, singing in tune at three and playing the piano at four.”[i] In fact, only one of the composer’s four daughters survived past the age of five. He also lost his wife and childhood sweetheart Kateřina Kolářová to tuberculosis. Smetana himself eventually lost his hearing and suffered from syphilis. His tragic biography would leave Shakespeare doubting its veracity.
He wove elements of such calamity into his Opus 15, although moments of vivacity and glee leaven them. “It is an intensely expressive and personal piece,” Shryock observed. Written in a moment of catharsis over the loss of Bedřiška, who died of scarlet fever, these three-movements turn from moments of deep reverie to heights of impish bliss. Smetana’s rage is felt at times as the dynamics lull the listener from instances of transcendent peace into pungent, staccato notes that bash the nerves. The movement from elegy to energy recurs throughout this piece, which premiered in Prague in 1855, and, although critics panned it, Liszt found much to praise. One can understand why a more conservative ear might find moments of soft, lithe beauty erupting into an exposition that seems frantic and bombastic problematic. Indeed, the trio sonata is a departure from the formulaic and the demure.
The threesome exuded intense, expressive passion and consummate, technical acumen. Their fervent playing was tight, allowing each musician to shine without suppressing the others. Violinist Matouš Pěruška, whose facial expressions evoked his mastery of the score, introduced the themes flawlessly; cellist Kristina Vocetková echoed them with equal engagement, at times seeming to dance with her instrument, allowing it to take the lead as she swelled on waves of sonorous melodies before descending into a pensive flurry of notes that saw her hand swiftly climb the neck of her instrument. This offering by this remarkable trio formed the soundtrack to the seagulls that soared through over white caps that topped rippling surf outside.
Pěruška’s and Vocetková’s staccato bowing and meticulously timed plucking cemented the foundation on which pianist Jan Vojtek exhibited nothing short of dynamic genius. I envied the page turner who got to watch Vojtek’s fingers. I imagined it to be as captivating as the sounds that surfaced. His eyes often veered from his score only to ensure that he, Pěruška, and Vocetková remained conjoined.
The players segued into each other seamlessly. As one player took the lead, the other two faintly withdrew allowing the former to elegantly slide into the foreground. Indeed, as Shryock said of the piano sonata form, it grants more freedom for risk-taking and “is more exciting than the stuffy string quartet.”
The intermezzo in the hospitable reception area above the hall gave the audience a moment to catch their breaths before Trio Bohémo returned, leaping into Dvořák’s six-part Piano Trio No. 4, in E Minor, Op. 90, B. 166, “Dumky.” A dumka (the singular form of dumky) is a lament that was often sung by an itinerant performer, yet it is balanced by a joyous theme. Dvořák himself referred to the style as melancholy, merry dance. A dumky is also a shared, cultural expression. Hence, Dvořák’s piano trio possesses a folk feel throughout, particularly in the fourth movement (Andante moderator – Allegro scherzando). It perfectly complemented the earlier Smetana.
The opening Lento maestro – Allegro vivace commenced with the piano and cello providing a low undertone allowing the violin to enter soaring above before it was joined by the cello offering a relaxed, harmonic ambiance. Dvořák allows ample space for the piano and cello to reclaim the melody before transitioning into a joyful frolic in which the violin squealed in delight.
The interplay proved absolutely captivating as Vojtek’s vibrant framing gave buoyancy to Pěruška’s spritely attack and Vocetková’s pensive articulation. It became almost hypnotic as the foreboding dusk that settled on the panorama behind the players seemed almost to be responding to the calm passages and rapid, flourishing descents. The musicians embodied the elation Dvořák’s wove into his score, giving vivid and ample life to Opus 90.
The Andante – Vivace non troppo began light and tender, building in complexity and intensity, falling back into subtle piano chording before bursting into the folksy jaunt of the Andante moderato – Allegretto scherzando. Power and poise coexisted impeccably as this dexterous trio delivered bursts of vigor between tranquil interludes.
The evening closed with a commissioned piece penned by the trio’s colleague Marious Christou. The mirthful and whimsical Dvořák in Cyprus (2022) follows his Beethoven in Greece. As the notes explain, this selection “is based on a fantasy, where Antonin Dvořák secretly pays a visit to a culturally distant and exotic place, the island of Cyprus. There, under the strong influence of local music, he writes a composition that combines elements of two very distant worlds — the musical world of Antonin Dvořák as we know it and the world of Cypriot folk music.”[ii] When we might expect Mozart at Fenway?
Trio Bohémo is in the midst of an American tour that will take them to Naples, Florida with stops in Los Angeles and North Carolina next week before they return home. Their ability to create mood, tone, and setting is no accident. It is the product of steadfast honing of craft. More importantly, it is the result of an ardor to share it with the world. I am grateful that they made a stop in Rockport for an enchanted evening that I will not soon forget.
John Tamilio III, Ph.D. is the Pastor of the Congregational Church of Canton, a Professor of Philosophy at Salem State University, and a professional guitarist who plays solo acoustic and for the Boston-based classic rock band, 3D. His playing has been applauded by David Brown (Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Joel), Jack Sonni (Dire Straits), and Carter Allen (WZLX). An aficionado of classical music, particularly the Baroque era, Tamilio’s publications are vast, covering not only music, philosophy, and theology, but the poetry of T.S. Eliot as well. He resides in Beverly with his wife Cynthia.
[i] Keith Horner, Program Notes, p. 3, © 2025.
[ii] Ibid., p. 5.