Archduke Trio

[arielpiano]

[emill]

hi Ariel!

BRAVO !!! ... very professional, the interplay between the players is excellent ... beautifully played.

As Enzo my son has told me, the experience in chamber music, also in accompanying violin, cello or voice is just so different from solo. It is an art in itself. His gotten a big dose of this in his recent sophomore year in music college and more to come yet

[arielpiano]

Thanks, Emill. Cannot agree more with Enzo. Please say hello to him. I've also been playing a huge amount of chamber music lately. Nothing quite like it.
Ariel

[rachfan]

Hi Ariel,

You attained another high performance standard, but this time in chamber music!  And kudos too to your very capable partners.  It's not unusual, given a hall and it acoustic, that the piano can overwhelm the string players.  You were careful and sensitive in minimizing that possibility.  Of course in some situations an alternative would be to raise the lid on the shorter "singer prop".  This is a discussion that occurs in chamber music.  Artur Rubinstein told some stories about this in his autobiography, often with good humor.  I never played chamber music, but played as accompanist for singers.  For any pianist collaboration brings some new dimensions in musicianship.  Keep up the good work!

David

[arielpiano]

Hi David,
Thanks for the kind words. In the video, the piano actually sounds a bit overbearing, but it is because of the placement of the microphones. In the hall, I was told, the balance was fine.
Playing chamber music is one of my greatest delights. The week we spent rehearsing and performing this program was a treat, and all three of us, I believe, learned a lot from each other in the process.
A.

[gvans]

Wonderful ensemble, sensitive musicianship.

I agree with rachfan's gentle comments that, at least in the vid, the piano overpowers the string players. Strings often sound louder in the front rows but fade toward the rear of the hall. If you mic close up, you'll pick up more violin and cello. Also, it's best to mic the cello about a foot off the ground, the deeper sound seems to hang low.

One rule: Always do a sound check before a concert. Have a trusted listener listen from all over the hall and decide on the stick height. This doesn't always work, as the acoustics change as the audience arrives, but it's better than nothing.

Observing the strings, they do seem the slightest bit tentative, playing wonderfully in the p and pp passages, but not possessing the powerful technique to project like concert soloists in the f and ff passages. Not to take anything away from their skills: their intonation was excellent, as is their musicianship. Still, unless you're playing with the likes of Heifitz and Casals, it's always best to lean towards the small stick.

All quibbles aside, congrats on an amazing performance of an incredibly difficult trio!

[arielpiano]

I'm really sorry that Alon and Eduard appear tentative to some of you guys in this video. I'm sure it has to do with the poor positioning of the microphones in the hall. I cannot explain it otherwise. This was definitely not the impression of the audience. Both are forceful and self-assured. Watch Eduard, for example, in the amazingly difficult (alpha male) Debussy cello sonata:

. I can't think of anyone who plays this better or with greater confidence. (Eduard, by the way, is the youngest member of the Czech Philharmonic.)