GEORGE NEWS - A smallish audience braved a decidedly chilly evening to listen to the Cape Town-based Goede Hoop Trio comprised of Matthew Reid, clarinet, Cheryl de Havilland, cello and the pianist Tertia Visser-Downie.
This was a very happy programme, opening with the Trio in B flat Op.11 for clarinet, cello and piano. Written by a very young Beethoven in 1792, this work is bright and cheerful. The lively Allegro con brio was followed by a beautiful Adagio incorporating a gentle duet between the clarinet and cello.
The third movement is a theme and nine variations. The theme was a very popular Viennese song and the nine contrasting variations were tossed around between the instrumentalists.
Rachmaninoff wrote his Sonata for cello and piano in 1901 and performed it, with a friend, in December of that year. He wanted both instruments to be equally important and this is best shown in the third movement, which is intense and passionate. I would have liked more strength and pathos from the cello as the piano part tended to drown it occasionally.
The highlight of the evening was Vittorio Monti's Czardas. Originally written for violin and mandolin, this piece has been transcribed for a variety of instruments, including a brass band. A czardas is a gypsy folk dance with ever-changing key, from major to minor, and vast variations in tempo and dynamics.
Reid and Visser-Downie watched each other very carefully as they negotiated their way through this seductive dance that required great skill and courage. The audience gasped and gave the musicians a well-deserved round of applause.
This wonderful trio consists of clarinet player Matthew Reid, cellist Cheryl de Havilland and pianist Tertia Visser Downie, all based in Cape Town.
After the interval Reid introduced us to two contrasting tangos by Astor Piazzolla, the first his ever-popular Libertango, followed by Oblivion. These were followed by Saint-Saëns' The Swan. There is not much going for this particular piece other than to let it float along gently and this De Havilland did with a good warm tone and delicateness that ensures The Swan will live on forever!
Matthew Reid had kept us smiling with many snippets of information and the final item was no exception. With hat on head, (a nice touch) he told us of his involvement with Jewish Klezmer in which he is especially interested.
The evening ended with three of his transcriptions for the trio, each portraying aspects of Jewish life, ending with the four pieces in Shalom Alechem.
It was tempting to get up and dance but we restrained ourselves and went home happy. I hope this trio will visit us again in George.
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