What’s the secret to making a chamber music trio stay together for more than 20 years? At a pre-concert chat for the Coast Recital Society’s (CRS) series last Sunday, James Parker, pianist for the Gryphon Trio, quipped that, “You need two patient people and a cellist.”
The cellist, in the form of trio member Roman Borys, had his chance for rebuttal when he also spoke to the audience at their Jan. 18 pre-concert chat at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt. Borys said the trio had always enjoyed each other’s company, and he pointed out that chamber music is a leaderless team.
Violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon said, “All three must have a commitment to the group and their future.”
When they began, they had to take chances that their careers would blossom. That involved playing at concerts for no pay in hopes they would be invited back to a bigger event.
Twenty years later the Juno award winners are all involved in many other projects, teaching and working with young musicians.
Last Saturday the trio met with local advanced students at St. Hilda’s Church in Sechelt for a tutoring workshop set up by music teacher and conductor Kathleen Hovey.
Recently Gryphon Trio became a trio in residence in Powell River offering a Listen Up! program that introduces kids to music and encourages their contribution to arts in the community. Their outreach work continues with a fundraising project that assisted them in financing an original composition for their repertoire. Now the charitable organization, Chamber Factory, continues to help other small ensembles.
On Sunday they performed selections from Haydn and Beethoven and a specially commissioned piece from R. Murray Schafer.
“We wanted to make Schafer part of our dream,” Borys said.
They worked with the acclaimed Canadian composer, now in his 80s, to produce an original composition.
“He really relied on us for feedback during the process,” Borys said.
Parker drew an analogy for the audience that the Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano (2014) by Schafer was like a party or reception at which one has animated conversations with one guest and a peaceful interaction with another. Never conventional, Schafer’s piece seemed disjointed at times with unexpected digressions. By contrast, the final piece of the day, Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat major, op.97, better known as The Archduke, was more thematically linked and lighter in tone. The full house demanded an encore and the trio played a lively tango from Astor Piazzolla.
The next CRS concert features Steven Osborne, pianist, on Saturday, Feb. 21.
