Credo Trio (Andrew McIntyre)

Cellist Steuart Pincombe delivered a superb performance, notably in the second movement of Haydn’s Piano Trio no. 29, where his rich grounded tone in response to pianist Karen Bergman’s lyrical opening was magnificent.

Bergman’s light and playful tone was well-suited for this Haydn piece, and she made the most of a dramatic descending sequence in the piece’s opening movement, evoking an ethereal tone.

Violinist Elizabeth Larson was at her best in the dance-like finale. Her elegant and seamless transition and playful tone made up for several lackluster timbral moments earlier in the piece.

The trio as a whole was terrific in the opening of Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio, Op. 17, playing the dramatic first theme with well-timed attack points, great clarity, and heightened emotion.

The opening theme features several prominent runs, and the trio shaped the ends of these runs magnificently. Bergman played Schumann’s silky smooth third movement initial melody exquisitely, and Larson’s violin response, rich with vibrato, was equally impressive.

The trio regained its intense emotion in the final movement, with Bergman’s subtle piano lines melting away from the emotional storm.

Elizabeth Larson was superb in the Trio no. 2 by Scott Wheeler (b. 1952), playing drawn-out harmonics beautifully.

Pincombe’s powerful slapping pizzicatos were effective in the second movement, and he and Larson delivered a terrific rendition of a violin-cello duo section filled with harmonics.

The Trio closed with a modern arrangement of Babcock’s “This is My Father’s World,” emphasizing the numerous times the melody landed on jazzy modal chords.

Reach Andrew McIntyre here.
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