Today, I attended the Amerigo Trio concert in Lefrak Hall. The trio is made up of Glenn Dicterow, Karen Dreyfus, and Inbal Segev. The trio is a string trio, with Dicterow on violin, Dreyfus on viola, and Segev on cello. They were introduced to a warm reception, and it appeared as if they thoroughly enjoyed playing in Lefrak Hall. All three are famous performers who perform all over the world, and it was nice to see the comfortable demeanor when they came to the college. The concert was well attended, but most of the audience was from outside the Queens College community. I think it is nice that the general Queens population can come to Lefrak Hall and listen to great music.
The trio played Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor, Opus 9 No. 3 and his Duo for Viola and Cello “with Eyeglasses obligato”, Jean Sibelius’ String Trio in G minor, and Anton Arnesky’s String Quartet in a minor, Opus 35 for Violin, Viola, and Two Cellos.
My favorite piece was Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor, Opus 9 No. 3. It was the first piece performed, and it grabbed the audience’s attention. I loved the harmonization of the three instruments. I do not have a music background, but found myself thoroughly enjoying the works.
It was different from the performance that the class previously attended in Lefrak Hall. There was a more intimiate feel because of the amount of people. Before, we saw the orchestra with a soloist, whereas here, the highlight was the trio with no accompaniment. Also, there was no conductor as there had been in the past. It was interesting comparing the two performances. I honestly do not know which one I preferred more.
The trio’s website can be found Here.
Lauren, your comments about how different it it to experience this small group vs. a large orchestra is exactly why this special concert series exists. It is called “Chamber Music Live” and the name says it all. First, all of the performances are “Chamber Music” which means that the ensembles are usually quite small, from a single performer up to a group of perhaps 7 or 8. With very small groups of players, there is an intimacy in the playing and a clear communication between the players that is highly prized in this kind of music. It is an intimacy that is usually lost in Rock music, which is typically very loud, even when played by just two or three performers. The “MTV Unplugged” series was a popular show for a long time on MTV that featured rock bands (including many artists renowned for their heavily amplified sound. In some ways, this is popular music’s answer to chamber music: http://www.mtv.com/music/unplugged/main.jhtml#fbid=KESg1ki1v30
The second aspect is “Live.” Hearing and seeing chamber music in a live concert is a special pleasure. There are dozens of these concerts in all sorts of venues all over New York. You should seek them out. some of the places to look include: Juilliard School; Frick Museum; Morgan Library Auditorium; Metropolitan Museum Auditorium; Guggenheim Museum, and certainly LeFrak Hall on campus!
By the way, the “String Quartet” for violin, viola and 2 cellos is a VERY unusual combination. The standard String Quartet is 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello. You will sound like a TOTAL chamber music geek if you mention the special instrumentation of the Arensky! Save that for a moment you want to really impress someone!