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CONCERT REVIEW | The Seiler Trio Blows a Musical Wind Through Heliconian Hall

By Robin Roger on April 13, 2015

The Seiler Trio
The Seiler Trio

The Seiler Trio, Syrinx Concert Series, at the Heliconian Hall. April 12, 2015.

Three superlative musicians came together on April 12 to give an outstanding performance of Trios for piano, violin and cello. In addition, the artistry of the Seiler Trio, was enhanced by the manner and venue of the Syrinx Concert Series.

It is the practice of this Concert Series to offer modest program notes in favour of having the musicians speak to the audience. This has a few benefits—it reduces the amount of paper rustling as people consult their programs, it creates a relaxed sense of improv as the musicians share their ideas and information, and it demands that the audience begin paying attention even before the opening bars. In addition, it conveys a sense of the musicians’ personalities. A solemn bow before heading to the instrument does not do this.

At today’s concert, Mayumi Seiler revealed a slightly ironic side when she commented that she was warned at the outset of her career that she would only perform music by “dead white composer’s” but today she was introducing a composer who was not only alive but in the concert hall. Inviting Kevin Lau, to the stage for a mini-interview, before performing his 2004 Trio, (composed when he was an undergrad at University of Toronto) she did not have to point out that he was not white.

Seiler’s introductions were relaxed enough that her trio partners could insert their own comments, as cellist Rachel Mercer did when she pointed out that Mendelssohn’s Trio #2 contained a section in the last movement that was particularly evocative of Bach, who Mendelssohn championed in his day. The first movement was intense and moody, but unlike Bach, it swept the audience away as if a powerful gust of wind had blown through the hall.

Which brings me to the second feature of Syrinx Concerts, the venue. The Heliconian Hall combines superb acoustics with an intimate size, seating only 120 people. The intimacy that chamber music creates can actually be felt in a venue of this scale. There is a slight dissonance between the shabbiness of the hall, it’s utilitarian stacking chairs, and the artwork by members on the wall, looking a bit like a children’s exhibition, and the formal bearing and grooming of the musicians, especially when female performers chose to appear in glittering gowns and teetering high heels on a slightly raised platform that creates little sense of separation between audience and artist.

The feeling of being close to the performers, which is exciting, is disrupted by the feeling of formality of the performers that is definitely at odds with the relaxed style of the audience.  As the Syrinx series tries to create a connection between the audience and the musicians by offering a reception with snacks and chat after the concert, this works against their admirable goal. Why not invite the musicians to dress down slightly, while maintaining the necessary dignity they require?

None of this reduced the delight of this excellent concert, in which the trio was remarkably in synch and appeared to experience pleasure at the making of music. In particular, during the dance-like passages, all three musicians exhibited a wonderful rhythmic movement with the music, and Rachel Mercer shared her impish smile. All three pieces, beginning with the Beethoven Trio, the “Archduke” and concluding with the Mendelssohn, were beautifully performed, and the arrangement of the pieces, with the Lau in the middle, was like a feast with a hearty stew to start, a cleansing sorbet in the middle and a indulgently rich dessert.

#LUDWIGVAN

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Robin Roger

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