When not one but three performers whose names are virtually synonymous with their instruments join forces, there’s a palpable air of excitement in the audience. Such was the case Thursday night at Cleveland’s Severance Music Center, which saw Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos and Yo-Yo Ma in a hearty program of Beethoven. At the centerpiece was Beethoven’s First Symphony, artfully recast for piano trio by pianist Shai Wosner.
This was an endeavor that began during the pandemic, when performance opportunities for full orchestra had all but dissipated. Additionally, there lies a strong historical precedent given that in the composer’s day, symphonic scores were most readily heard in reductions for various chamber combinations. Introducing the work, Ax humorously invited the audience to think of the trio as the “Euclid Avenue Philharmonic”, a nod to the venue’s iconic location – further quipping the name also acknowledges Kavakos’ Greek heritage!
From the onset, the trio produced a wonderful clarity of tone, playing with a transparency that put the details of the piece in sharp relief – details that otherwise risk getting lost in the density of a full orchestra. Such a skillful arrangement made for an enticing way to hear the work afresh. The material was given a vigorous workout and the pathos-laden development of the Allegro con brio showed how forward-thinking the composer was even in his inaugural symphonic effort. The slow movement was by turn genial and untroubled, an interlude before the joie de vivre of the Minuet and Finale, in which the trio cultivated a sumptuous orchestral sonority.
Flanking the symphony were the two trios that comprise Op.70. The so-called “Ghost” Trio began the program with a bustling, declamatory opening, giving way to the most gracious of themes. From the moment the music began, one sensed this was a congenial conversation amongst friends, and what a privilege it was to eavesdrop on such an exchange. Each of their distinct personalities shone through, with the piano trio being a medium perhaps uniquely suited to doing so.
Beethoven made his most personal statements in his slow movements, and even in such a competitive field, that of the Ghost is particularly remarkable. Hymn-like material in the piano introduced an otherworldly series of tremolos that inspired its epithet, given to chilling effect – a mood in no way sustained during the concluding Presto, as jovial and good-natured as one could ask for.
The E flat major trio differed from its companion in beginning with introspective introductory material that led to a broad and spacious first movement. The crystalline tone Ax drew out of the piano counted as a highlight here. Delicate dotted figures were transformed to impassioned minor-key episodes in the Allegretto to striking effect, and a further downtempo movement saw Kavakos sculpt a richly lyrical tone, with Ma’s countermelody deftly intertwined. A reception as warm as the music brought the trio back for the Andante un poco mosso from Schubert’s B flat major trio, serene and songful.
