PEABODY TRIO in concert at the Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah, on Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.; one performance only.
During a recent interview with the Deseret News, cellist Natasha Brofsky said she felt that her group, the Peabody Trio, had a distinctive sound — that is, she believes the trio tries to capture the essence of each composer as his or her music is played.
After the trio's performance on Wednesday evening, perhaps there ought to be something added to that description. The Peabody Trio actually did seem to have a distinctive "thumbprint" that it left on each piece, and that "thumbprint" was the gift of melody.
From the mysterious, soulful Shalumit Ran "Soliloquy" to the more virtuosic (as well as melodic) passages of Ravel's Piano Trio, the group seemed to bring out the essence of melody in each piece.
Going beyond the sound of the notes, and even beyond the sound of the individual instruments, the group seemed to be able to reach a place where the music became simply smooth, golden, beautiful and lyrical.
The effect was especially nice when combined with the sumptuous colors of Ravel's music in his Piano Trio.
There were also moments, such as during the second movement of the Ravel, when the group seemed to "get inside" the dynamics of the music, capturing the sense of the force behind it all.
Of course, cellist Brofsky and violinist Violaine Melancon usually got those gut-wrenchingly beautiful melodies, like the duet during the third movement of Ravel's Piano Trio, or the third movement of Beethoven's Trio in B-flat Major.
Pianist Seth Knopp, however, artistically provided both support to the melody and some well-performed lead passages of his own.
If there is a downside to this, it would be that the performers didn't fully embrace the persona of each of the composers in the individual pieces.
Like an actor portraying different characters, there is often something of the actor himself that he brings to each role, making otherwise diverse parts quite similar in some respects.
Likewise, the group didn't make the character distinctions as pronounced as they could be. But the payoff — bringing that musical, soft-edged, melodic sound to the music — was worth it.
The program on Wednesday began with Israeli-American composer Ran's "Soliloquy," a mysterious, ethereal, soulful piece that was written for the Peabody Trio.
Ravel's Piano Trio followed, and the program ended with Beethoven's Trio in B-flat minor, ("Archduke").
E-MAIL: rcline@desnews.com