Our recent winter recitals have taken us to a variety of venues. Two were in delightful chapel settings, in Norwich and Brighton. So often there is a wonderfully intimate ambience in chapels, and this encourages a definite feeling of audience involvement with the performance.
Early in this month of January we performed in a completely different setting in Southend. An old cinema, now with a different usage, hosts a highly successful concert series. Playing in a large venue requires a different performance technique – it is easy to feel a little lost on a large platform! There is no doubt in my mind that chamber music works better in a smaller hall, but there is a certain thrill in filling a large space with just three instruments.
Particular concerts to look forward to for the trio are a return visit to the wonderful city of Lincoln in February, and also preparing the piano quintet of Shostakovich for performance in Bristol. It is not often that a piano trio augments to a piano quintet – it is usually the domain of a string quartet, so it is a welcome experience.
The Piano Trio Society is presenting the first ever intercollegiate competition this spring for piano trios at both junior and senior levels. The Junior competition is on Sunday February 4th and the Senior competition is on Sunday April 29th. Both are held at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This is a very exciting time for the Piano Trio Society, and more details can be found on their website:
www.pianotriosociety.org.uk
Happy chamber music this spring!
24th January 2018