The of high point of the newly formed Tristan Trio (pianist Aljoša Jurinić, violinist Thomas Lee Cooper, and cellist Tyler Michael James) concert in the Fermata Chamber Soloists Series at the Goethe Institut Boston Saturday evening came in its performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor. His two works in that genre (the other is the somewhat earlier and lesser one in D Minor) clearly equal Schubert’s justly celebrated Trios in B-flat Major and E-flat Major and stand above those of Brahms — even the great early version of his Opus 8 in B Major.
The C minor’s Allegro energico e con fuoco is a knockout — full of beautifully crafted details, from the syncopated chromatic motif to the synchronized unisons of the strings and the pianos’ scintillating runs, and the other movements went from strength to strength. Most of the credit for the enormous energy goes to Jurinić, whose mailed-fist-in-a-velvet-glove power was the chief driver here; his imagination pushed the phrases forward with suspense as well as impetuosity. In the Andante espressivo, all three players contributed to the hymn-like textures, but Jurinić’s voicing best created the atmosphere of respite and reflection. The threesome delivered a transparent Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto and made the 6/8 Allegro appassionato, with its intricate counterpoint, rush to its exciting conclusion without becoming frenetic. The interpretation fully deserved the approbation of the approximately 150 listeners in the acoustically lively hall.
Those lively acoustics, however, proved less than hospitable to the single work on the first half, the 18-year-old Debussy’s Trio in G major. The acoustics were at least partly responsible for making Cooper’s violin tone occasionally sound screeching rather than singing, and neither Jurinić nor cellist James could do much with the uninspired work that never so much as offered a suggestion of the greatness that the composer achieved just a few years later. It struck one as second-rate Faure on a not-so-good day.
The Tristan members probably made a wise decision in omitting the promised Light and Matter by Kaija Saariaho. The composer’s high-lying harmonics would not have been flattered by the overly bright acoustics of the Institut’s drawing room.
Last word: Aljoša Jurinić’s star rather overpowered the sonic rays of his partners. I would have written more had the ensemble developed a stronger balance.
For the record, I didn’t mind your comments, Stephen (your reviews here have always been strong and worth reading), although it’s refreshing to see a writer admit they could have said something better. I agree that the Mendelssohn D Minor might have been helped by those early recordings (Casals & Heifetz groups?) and, in my experience, it is also played often by advanced student groups, moreso than the C Minor. I just coached a too-young group playing the 2nd movement, and though it was surely over their heads in many respects, it was great to see them reaching for what was there. Both Mendelssohn trios have very striking openings, but the D Minor might also be more immediately memorable because it starts with a “big tune.”
Dave Hurwitz gets a lot of mileage out of making videos in which he lists the “greatest” this and “greatest” that, and though such exercises can be a little silly and even problematic…they are also enjoyable!
Comment by Michael Monroe — June 4, 2025 at 1:18 pm
I think the reason that Mendelssohn’s D Minor Trio gets more attention than the one in C Minor may simply be the happenstance the first two recordings of the earlier piece were made by what were then among the most celebrated two pianists, two violinists and two cellists alive.
Comment by stephen wigler — June 4, 2025 at 12:43 pm
I do, however, prefer the first version of the Brahms B Major Trio.
Comment by stephen wigler — June 4, 2025 at 12:16 pm
I agree. It was a stupid, thoughtless and careless remark.
Comment by stephen wigler — June 4, 2025 at 12:12 pm
I agree completely with the comments by Beaux Arts, Martin Cohn, and Michael Monroe. The dismissal of the glorious Mendelssohn D-minor trio is so laughably mis-informed as to lead one to question anything this author has written!
Comment by David Rowe — June 3, 2025 at 8:16 pm
Yes, I also was surprised to see the Mendelssohn D Minor referred to as “lesser.” Although I think the C Minor has the better finale, the rest of the D Minor is perfection note to note. In my experience, it also seems to be the one that is more often played and recorded. I also can’t see putting either above the Brahms B Major (the more standard revised version) because it is full of so much magic, although the Mendelssohn trios are arguably more perfectly finished. The evidence suggests that Brahms’ imagination really benefits from the addition of one or two more string players.
Comment by Michael Monroe — June 3, 2025 at 7:10 am
Well said.
Comment by martin cohn — June 2, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Well, this is an interesting set of evaluations. The “lesser” Mendelssohn trio is the d minor? OK, possibly, although many would say the opposite. Equal to the two Schuberts, OK, maybe, or maybe just very different, as the Schuberts are orchestral in concept and not exactly idiomatic for any of the three instruments (while Mendelssohn’s trios are extraordinarily and equally well written for the three players). You’re certainly entitled to your estimations. But I’d be very hard pressed to find any serious musician who finds the ‘early’ and first version of the Brahms B major trio as ‘great’.Just compare, as one point of reference the development sections of the first version to the revised one, and I rest my case.
Comment by Beaux Arts — June 2, 2025 at 9:17 am