Indaca Trio delights audience

GEORGE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - The small group of music lovers who shivered their way into the Arts Theatre on Sunday afternoon was privileged to hear the Indaca Trio, the collective name for three local musicians, Calvin Steyn, violin, Ingrid Robinson, viola, and the very dependable accompanist, Dalene Brits, piano, perform some seldom-heard chamber music. It was good to be at a live concert again.

The concert opened with a Sonata by GF Händel that, although rather bland, gave us a taste of what was to come. The balance between the instruments was good with subtle accompaniment and a nice warm tone from the viola to offset the sprightly violin.

This was followed by Trio op 37 no 1 by the German conductor and composer Ignaz Lachner, who was the second of three musical brothers and was influenced by Franz Schubert.

Lachner wrote six trios for this combination of instruments. No 1 is very long and one got the feeling the composer didn't quite know how to finish off a section; new ideas kept coming in. However, it is a cheerful work with a gentle Andante movement followed by a lively Scherzo and Trio. I would have liked a stronger opening from the violin for the finale.

After the interval we heard five pieces by Dimitri Shostakovitch. These alternated between gentle moods and sprightly dances, especially the Polka that almost lured us into dancing in the aisles. Moritz Moszkowski's Suite op 71 ended the programme.

This work contained a variety of tempi that the musicians accomplished with aplomb and obvious enjoyment, and brought the programme to a triumphant end.

However, they were not finished yet. An encore was called for and we heard Vittorio Monti's energetic Czardas. This Hungarian dance goes from slow and seductive to fast and furious.

Wisely the accompanist left the strings to get on with it, which they did with great skill and togetherness. The audience were left gasping and the standing ovation was well deserved.

The audience went home happy and I hope we hear more of this trio in the near future.

The Indaca Trio members are Calvin Steyn, Dalene Brits (centre) and Ingrid Robinson.