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Captivating season-operning performance from Trio Solisti

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The Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg kicked off the current music season Tuesday in the Williamsburg Library Theatre, with an exceptionally fine program by the exceptionally fine piano trio, Trio Solisti, an ensemble that has previously appeared here.

Formed in 2001, Trio Solisti quickly moved to the forefront of top piano trios gracing concert stages around the world. To have them return and open this fine chamber music series got things off to a smart seasonal start.

The qualities that marked their previous visits continue to impress, as heard in this superb program. A rock-solid blend of sound, technique, and symbiotic interpretation combined to offer a composite feeling of refinement and polished professionalism. Given the individual musical pursuits of each member (Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello; Maria Bachmann, violin; Fabio Bidini, piano) as soloists and affiliates of other ensembles and a residency at New York’s Adelphi University, their ability to offer the kind of composite, integrated sound and approach to its music making normally associated with groups having more concentrated time together is all the more impressive. The passion Trio Solisti provides is palpable and exciting, as was this event.

Although the group supports new or edgy music, the fare here was solidly standard — the Haydn Piano Trio No. 43 in C Major, Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major and Chausson Piano Trio in G Minor, which they played when they opened the 2011-2012 season.

The ensemble used its beautifully blended sound and matched technical abilities to perfectly capture the spirit and emotions of the fare, starting with the Haydn, drawn from his final set of piano trios penned the “Bartolozzi Trios,” dedicated to Therese Bartolozzi, an esteemed London pianist. From the opening, jovial notes, there is the instinctive feeling that this would be a happy ride. And it was. Unlike many such trios, this one finds the piano in a solo-type spotlight requiring highly virtuoso and filigreed challenges and complete keyboard control, a task which Bidini handled with impressive dexterity. His work, combined with that of the violin and cello offered a bright and sprightly opening.

The impact of the Chausson heard several years ago remained unchanged here, the trio offering a captivating and involved reading that captured the work’s full range of emotions, from darkness and unrest, to melancholy and uplifting spirit (if only a passing emotion). A student of Franck, the textures of this G Minor are many, rich in sound and emotion. With its symphonic-like structure, the Trio’s approach was one of integrity, drama and passion, most especially heard in the “Assez lent” and its sustained lines of longing and heart-felt intensity.

Closing the evening was the Brahms. This work was his first published chamber music piece, one that he later revisited with more maturity under his belt. The exquisite opening and luxurious lines are a prelude to a largely dark and brooding work of deep introspection and drama, despite a slight venture into a light Scherzo that was almost giddy in contrast to all that preceded and followed it. The heart of the work was the somber Adagio, with its ethereal quality and lyrical, sustained lines, the sublime essence of which the trio embraced fully and reverentially. With the Allegro and its forceful and heroic spirit, the program closed, the captivating performance finding the audience on its feet in a quick and well deserved display of appreciation for a rewarding and exciting program with Trio Solisti.

John Shulson, a Williamsburg resident, has been covering the arts for over 40 years. He makes a guest appearance in Margaret Truman’s “Murder at the Opera.”