Trio Concept
Mendelssohn Bartholdy / Weinberg
Tonhalle, kleiner Saal, Zurich, 2025-09-29
2025-10-11 — Original posting
Série jeunes in der Tonhalle Züriuch: Das Trio Concept mit Mendelssohn und Weinberg— Zusammenfassung
Contents
- Introduction
- Overview
- The Artists
- Program
- Concert & Review
Overview
| Venue, Date & Time | Small Hall of the Tonhalle am See, Zurich, 2025-09-29 19:30h |
| Series / Title | Série jeunes: Trio Concept |
| Organizer | Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich AG |
| Reviews from related events | Concerts in the Small Hall of the Tonhalle am See, Zurich |
The Artists
In 2013, three musicians studying at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica Giuseppe Verdi in Turin joined to form the Trio Chagall. The musicians are
- Edoardo Grieco (*1999)
Instrument: 1766 violin made in Milan by Pietro Antonio Landolfi (c. 1730 – 1795) - Francesco Massimino (*1999)
Instrument: 1948 cello “Oro del Reno” made in Milan by Gaetano Sgarabotto (1878 – 1959) - Lorenzo Nguyen (*1998), piano
Instrument: Steinway D-274 concert grand (lid fully open)
Ten years after its inception, the ensemble began winning auditions and awards at competitions. These successes led to performances on concert stages throughout Europe, particularly in Italy, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, as well as at the Wigmore Hall in London.
A New Name: Trio Concept
In October 2024, the ensemble decided to change its name to Trio Concept, “in order to highlight the cohesion of an artistic journey spanning over a decade, centered on the very concept of the trio as the core of their musical activity and a constant source of creative drive. The new name is inspired by the verses of [Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564)], which reflect the trio’s artistic commitment: to seek out and reveal the beauty that lies hidden within every work, and to let it be reborn through performance—just as the sculptor uncovers the perfect form within the block of marble.” (quote from the ensemble’s Website)
In 2021, the musicians has moved to Switzerland, where they just completed their education at the Basel Academy of Music (Hochschule für Musik Basel / FHNW). Since then, the ensemble has received several major recognitions, including the Yves Paternot Prize at the Verbier Festival, a nomination as ECHO Rising Stars for the 2025/26 season, a victory at the YCAT Finals at Wigmore Hall in London, and First Prize at the Schoenfeld International Competition in China. See the ensemble’s Website for full detail.
Program
- Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 – 1847): Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, op.49, MWV Q29
- Mieczysław Weinberg (1919 – 1996): Piano Trio in A minor, op.24 (1945)
Setting, etc.
The ensemble kindly invited me to the event. My seat was in the centre of the hall, in row 10—presumably one of the seats offering the best acoustics in the venue. The hall was around two-thirds full, and the audience seemed younger on average than at regular concerts, especially symphonic concerts in the main hall.
Concert & Review
Lorenzo Nguyen, the ensemble’s pianist, started the program by discussing the considerations that led to the selection of pieces. He noted the similarities in form between the two compositions, despite them being separated by over 100 years; both feature a similar four-movement structure. He then discussed the relationship between musical form, the emotion conveyed by the music, and how the music is received.
The English introduction was brief, but difficult to understand because of the acoustics. One would think that five to six minutes of explanation is not excessive for a one-hour trio recital. Nevertheless, someone in the back of the hall tried to cut it short by clapping prematurely. Fortunately, Lorenzo Nguyen took it in stride and continued with his remarks. Thankfully, the “intervention” was not as rude as one I experienced at a concert in the Tonhalle’s large hall about 18 months ago. Is it a sign of our hectic times that audiences lack the patience for an artist’s explanation of their program?
Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, op.49, MWV Q29
Composer & Work
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 – 1847) composed his Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, op.49, MWV Q29 in 1839 and was first performed in 1840, with the composer at the piano. The composition was an immediate success and received highest praise by Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856). The movements are
- Molto allegro ed agitato
- Andante con moto tranquillo
- Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace
- Finale: Allegro assai appassionato
I have previously written about a performance of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s op.49 in a review of a concert on 2014-09-14 in this very same venue. In addition, back in 2014, I have posted a brief CD review comparing three recordings of this composition. In that posting you find additional information on this work.
The Performance
Sonorities
In the introduction, the two string instruments presented the main theme, accompanied by gentle waves of pp chord sequences. This provided an opportunity to study the sound of the string instruments. First was the cello, which had a harmonious, light, and clear sonority, rather than an overly bulbous one. Then, as the volume increased to f, the violin joined in. Its sound was occasionally slightly aggressive yet equally clear with excellent projection. It effortlessly retained its presence, even when the piano evolved into ff. In this venue, at least, it seemed as if the instruments were chosen for differentiation and contrast rather than for ultimate harmonious union (i.e., to make them sound like one instrument).
Balance, Transparency
As a concertgoer, I have found that performing Mendelssohn’s piano trios, as well as those of other, classical and early Romantic composers, on a modern concert grand is notoriously challenging in terms of maintaining acoustic balance and transparency. Period instruments offer a lighter tone and action, providing a brighter, more colorful, and more transparent sound. This makes them ideal for chamber music from that time, even though they may run into limitations in big concert venues.
Given the above, seeing the fully open lid of the Steinway D-274 instantly raised concerns. However, the balance seemed to just fine in the opening bars of the movement, where the piano was merely a quasi-sotto voce accompaniment to the presentation of the theme by the string instruments. At that point, my only reservation was that in this setting the piano’s sound seemed rather dark and somewhat lacking in transparency. I wondered whether this was mainly due to the acoustic setting, or if the artist’s touch also contributed to this impression. In any case, this just confirmed that a modern concert grand piano does not do justice to this music.
I. Molto allegro ed agitato
Edoardo Grieco and Francesco Massimino impressed with their emphatic and expressive playing, which was sometimes almost eruptive. As is typical of Mendelssohn, the piano soon assumed a central role, dominating the piece with busy, virtuosic textures. Once it moved into ff (e.g., bars 66 ff.), the piano often completely covered the cello part. At bars 115 ff., the piano part is marked pp, and the cello presents the second theme, a beautiful espressivo cantilena. Even here, the cello nearly drowned in the sound carpet of the piano accompaniment. Despite the pp indication, the string instruments should have been more forthcoming in this setting.
Throughout the movement, the piano was very dominant. The blame for this falls on the instrument (and the acoustics), not on Lorenzo Nguyen, whose playing was virtuosic, effortless, firm, and differentiated in the agogics (e.g., with brief ritenuti leading to climaxes in a phrase). In the occasional lyrical passages, the pianist made the instrument sing with beautiful right-hand cantilenas. Of course, there were also moments with beautiful string cantilenas (e.g., the dolce in bars 434 ff.), but as soon as the piano part was marked agitato, it proved too dominant again.
★★★½
II. Andante con moto tranquillo
The piano opening of the second movement was a beautiful, peaceful and reflective song without words, full of expressive agogics. When the string duo joined the piano, the balance felt much better. Naturally, the narration largely remained attached to the piano part; the strings seemed to comment on it. Occasionally, the cello part deserved to be slightly more prominent. Interestingly, the cello pizzicato in bars 61 ff. retained its acoustic presence despite the semiquaver figures in the piano. This was a beautiful idyll—serene and peaceful!
★★★★½
III. Scherzo: Leggiero e vivace
Even with the light mechanics of a period instrument (fortepiano), Mendelssohn’s metronome indication (3/8 = 120) is very challenging. Lorenzo Nguyen performed this remarkably well, coming at least close to Mendelssohn’s tempo indication. Well done! Inevitably, though, on the Steinway, some of the extremely fast semiquaver figures were in danger of sounding superficial. Occasionally, the tempo felt forced, and the coordination seemed at the limit of what was possible. With Mendelssohn’s rapid, busy textures, sensory overload made it difficult for listeners to assess the coordination. Interestingly, it was in this busy movement that Francesco Massimino momentarily was able to showcase the sonorous bass register of his instrument.
★★★★
IV. Finale: Allegro assai appassionato
The Scherzo ends with a fermata. Lorenzo Nguyen waited only a brief moment before continuing with the last movement quasi attacca. Mendelssohn’s score contains no indication to that effect. Personally, I found that the mysterious, almost ghastly ending of the Scherzo called for a little longer interval of reflection prior to launching into the equally busy and virtuosic Finale.
Again, the cello occasionally risked being drowned out by the dense soundscape. However, the balance was definitely better in this movement, allowing the audience to enjoy the beautiful string cantilenas, especially when the violin and cello played in octave parallels. Once again, it seems that Mendelssohn wanted to showcase his virtuosity. The piano textures closely resemble those of his piano concertos and require extraordinary agility in both hands. Lorenzo Nguyen was clearly the driving force in this movement. There were moments when the tempo seemed forced. Nevertheless, the pianist performed with amazing virtuosity, maintaining drive and momentum also across fermatas. It was an absolutely enthralling performance!
★★★★
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Weinberg: Piano Trio in A minor, op.24 (1945)
Composer & Work
Mieczysław Weinberg (1919 – 1996) was a Russian composer with Polish-Jewish origin. Weinberg lost most of his family in the Holocaust. He lived in the Soviet Union / Russia since 1939. Weinberg was evacuated to Tashkent at the outbreak of WWII. There, he met Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) who became his close friend. 1943, Shostakovich urged him to return to Moscow, where in 1945 Weinberg composed the Piano Trio in A minor, op.24, his only contribution to this genre. He was much more prolific in other genres, e.g., with 22 symphonies and 17 string quartets. The Piano Trio op.24 features four movements:
- Prelude and Aria: Larghetto
- Toccata: Allegro
- Poem: Moderato
- Finale: Allegro moderato
I have written about a chamber music recital on 2018-12-01 featuring Mieczysław Weinberg’s Piano Trio in A minor, op.24. The above work description is from that review.
The Performance
I. Prelude and Aria: Larghetto
In the prelude, the violin and cello take the “first word” with their grand, majestic arpeggio chords. After just one bar, the piano joins in, playing ff marcatissimo with powerful sub-bass octaves. Instantly, the concert grand dominates the scene with its huge, dark sonority. Beautiful in itself, the piano’s massive sound completely overshadows the string instruments. This effect was likely intended by the composer: as the ff playing continues in the prelude segment, the string instruments also come into their own, in an expressive discourse filled with internal turmoil and rebellion.
The prelude retracts into pp, drastically changing the atmosphere for the aria. Gradually, long, ascending string figures shift the mood toward reflection. After a long pause, the string instruments present a lament of forlornness and mourning with moments of pain. The music alternates between intimate, beautiful cantilenas and segments full of narrow, dissonant intervals: a duet recitative with sparse sotto voce accompaniment in the piano bass and the string instruments playing quasi-flautando. Over time, the movement seems to move toward emotional abstraction, breaking up and diluting the cantilenas into expressive pizzicato with staccato accompaniment.
There were no issues with the acoustic balance, and one could assume that the musicians adequately realized the composer’s intentions in the context of a trio recital. Of course, for a recording, the sound engineer will likely adjust the sound to ensure that listeners can easily follow the string parts even when the piano plays at full volume.
★★★★½
II. Toccata: Allegro
Lorenzo Nguyen began this Toccata without rest, attacca. It is a wild, energetic movement, strongly motoric throughout. The outer parts are dominated by the piano with continuous, rabid, wildly chromatic semiquaver figures in the right hand (ff, non legato) and loud, stomping bass accents in the left hand. This must be strenuous for the right hand! In my opinion, the right hand part could actually be closer to staccato, as at this rapid pace, the non legato hardly plays out. In bar 43, the violin joins in, followed by the cello in bar 64. The string instruments take on the character of the pianist’s right-hand part, distorting it with rough and scratchy articulation, as well as deliberately “false” and “approximate” (microtonal) intonation. Despite its roughness, the piece is thrilling and captivating, full of drive and momentum.
★★★★
III. Poem: Moderato
Also the Poem followed attacca. The movement opens with an extended “wordy”, highly expressive, and chromatic recitative above a “patterned” drone in the low bass and sparse chords: impressive and captivating. In bar 25, the music rapidly changes to a highly lyrical, expressive and intimate—if not introverted—mood: a peaceful, solemn chorale. Here, the violin takes over with calmly pacing pizzicato quavers. These turn into the accompaniment to a moody, low bass cantilena on the cello. Initially reflective and calm, the tone gradually darkens and takes on an ominous and daunting quality. When the violin switches to arco, the mood narrows.
Once the piano returns, dissonances signal the beginning of an intense dispute and open conflict, even turmoil. With a surprising mood turn, the listener is suddenly met with a powerful, solemn and harmonious chorale. However, the relief is just momentary: the conflict erupts again, this time more violent and chaotic, reaching a broad, intense, dramatic climax. At the point of highest intensity, the chorale momentarily returns with force, but does not prevail. Gradually, the conflict subsides. A pulsating bass drone on the piano opens the mind to a brief scene in which birds appear to sing. The movement ends in a solemn, tranquil mood, with long, low piano chords, soft cello pizzicatos, and a gentle, muted, and high melody on the E string fading into nothingness…
The role of the chorale in this movement very much reminds me of the chorale incursions in the final movement of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Piano Trio in C minor, op.66, MWV Q33. A mere coincidence?
★★★★½
IV. Finale: Allegro moderato
The transition to the Finale is seamless, almost unnoticeable, with a simple, unaccompanied melody in the piano descant. This idyll does not last long, though: the muted violin picks up the melody line in rapid trembling, tremulating. The piano adds a counterpoint, then falls into a determined, marching rhythm. Gradually, the movement builds up to virtuosic polyphony: fugato, imitaitions, then a wild, rebellious folk dance. The volume, the excitement, the emotions constantly grow, building up to the point of exhaustion, at which the combined sonority seemed to overfill the venue.
At the climax ferocious uproar on the piano leads to a long, descending decrescendo, and suddenly, we find ourselves in a scene, where the string instruments indulge in beautiful melodies and cantilenas. The piano retreats to a slightly menacing bass drone and then returns to the chorale, accompanied by cello pizzicato and the softest flageolet tones on the violin. The music finds peace and resolution. Ultimately, it fades into a long silence. The audience sat in total stillness for a long time, then broke into enthusiastic, frenetic applause. This showed how much the performance had touched the listeners. The jeering and shouts during the applause indicated that the ensemble had attracted a substantial fan base to the event.
★★★★
Overall Rating: ★★★★
Encore — Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, op.67 (1944), II. Allegro con brio
Composer & Work
As an encore, Lorenzo Nguyen announced the Allegro con brio from the Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, op.67, which Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) composed between 1943 and 1944. Shostakovich dedicated this piece, which features Russian folk themes, to a close friend, Ivan Sollertinsky (1902 – 1944). Wikipedia describes Sollertinsky as a Soviet polymath who specialized in fields including linguistics, theater, literature, history, and philology. He was most known for his work in the musical field as a critic and musicologist. He was a professor at the Leningrad Conservatory and the artistic director of the Leningrad Philharmonic, as well as a prominent orator.
The work premiered in November of 1944. The Allegro con brio is the second of the four movements:
- Andante – Moderato
- Allegro con brio
- Largo
- Allegretto – Adagio
The second movement is a Scherzo in F♯ major. The Trio section is in G major: the dedicatee’s sister described it as “an amazingly exact portrait” of her brother.
The Performance
This movement, the composition was not new to me: I have experienced this in a concert in Bern on 2017-05-15, and I have listened to recordings of it. In my concert review, I described the interpretation as “vehement, almost ruthless, with deliberately and expressedly rude articulation in the strings“. I also listened to a recording that took the rudeness, the grumpiness of this movement to the point of caricature.
The Trio Concept took a somewhat different approach for the encore, at least. While the movement retained some of the caricature aspect, it didn’t feel overly grumpy or rough. Instead, it focused on the folksy and playful side. It was almost boisterous—thrilling, fascinating, fast, virtuosic, and over-excited. It felt like a hit piece, indeed—masterfully played and the ideal encore!
★★★★½
Conclusions
This was an impressive performance, and a highly interesting program! If I muttered about the balance, the occasional dominance of the piano, it’s not the ensemble’s or the interpretation’s fault. Rather, it can be attributed to the acoustics, and to the fact that a Steinway concert grand is not the adequate instrument for Mendelssohn’s piano trios. Despite these minor shortcomings, the impression remains that this is an ensemble with excellent prospects for a successful career!
Acknowledgement
The author would like to thank Lorenzo Nguyen (Trio Concept) for the invitation to this event.
