Trio's Tchaikovsky is enthralling

Performing standards at Seattle Chamber Music Society's Summer Festival have been stellar this year and, at each performance I've attended, there has been at least one work that stood out as an extraordinary musical experience.

MUSIC REVIEW

SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY SUMMER FESTIVAL

WHEN: Through tonight

WHERE: Overlake School, Redmond

TICKETS: $38, various discounts; 206-283-8808; www.seattlechambermusic.org

In Wednesday's concert at Overlake School, it was Tchaikovsky's lengthy piece of many moods, the Trio for violin, cello and piano in A Minor. All three musicians have to work very hard, but the piano role is monumental and virtuosic almost without remit. Pianist Orion Weiss encompassed the difficulties with apparent ease, joy and consummate musicianship.

Violinist James Ehnes, cellist Robert deMaine and Weiss played as musicians with one communal thought, and the result was enthralling. At times, the piano's thunderous role overwhelmed the cellist's sound, and I wished for the piano lid to be lowered for balance.

Pianist Shai Wosner has shown himself a master of Mozartian elegance this year. His playing in the Trio for violin, cello and piano in E Major, K. 542, delighted the soul with its clean lines, crisp articulation and restrained pedal, particularly at the solo opening phrases, so it was a shock when violinist Joseph Lin entered playing in thoroughly romantic style. The dichotomy continued throughout the work, detracting from the enjoyment. Festival artistic director Toby Saks played the unobtrusive cello role.

Lovely melodies pervade Borodin's charming Quintet for piano and strings in C Minor, in which another new performer at the festival, cellist Priscilla Lee, displayed a warm, deep, assured tone matched by that of violist Che-Yen Chen. Together with fine pianism from Anna Polonsky and sensitive playing by violinist Scott Yoo, they gave considerable pleasure.

However, first violinist Steven Copes, who played equally sensitively in softer passages, chose in louder ones to overplay, with steely tone, heavy pressure and using the full sweep of his bow in what might be appropriate for vigorous Bartok passages, but not here. He seemed to be a proponent of the saw-your-fiddle-in-half school of playing, and the sound produced was out of scale and not tuneful.

One concert remains, tonight, at this year's extremely successful festival.

Freelancer Philippa Kiraly has been writing about classical music in Seattle since 1991.

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