Violinist Margot Schwartz played as a guest with Prometheus Trio last season and has now joined pianist Stefanie Jacob and cellist Scott Tisdel as a permanent member of the ensemble. As is usually the case in its programs, the group explored intriguing and unusual repertoire in a concert last week at Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Schwartz, who also plays violin in Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, is an interesting musician. Her sound is pronounced and defined, and her playing shows a combination of astute intellect and emotional freedom. She projects a strong and likable musical personality onstage.
Gaetano Donizetti composed a whopping 75 operas, including Lucia di Lammermoor and L’elisir d’amore, but also the occasional instrumental work. The Trio in E-flat Major was written in 1817 just before the composer turned 20. It’s a lighthearted little piece, an early example of Donizetti’s very Italian style, with melody predominant. It was played with relish and glee.
Erich Wolfgang Korngold is primarily known for his Hollywood film scores of the 1930s and ’40s, but he wrote a fair amount of other music. His Trio in D Major, Op. 1 was composed in 1909 at the age of 12, an astounding composition from someone so young. The piece surges forth with exuberance, sweetness and vividly colorful harmony that echoes Richard Strauss but is its own unique sound. A visual equivalent to the style might be the slightly decadent, gorgeous paintings of Gustav Klimt. This was a good, persuasive performance, with Jacob creating orchestra-like colors in the complex piano part.
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We don’t often hear music by Czech composer Josef Suk (1874-1935). A violinist himself, he wrote a stirring violin solo in his Elegie, Op. 23 (1902), played with color and passion by Schwartz. More Czech music came with the Trio in G Minor, Op. 15 by Bedřich Smetana. Bohemian folk and gypsy influences combine with German Romantic style in this masterwork. The final movement, with its blazing speed, gave the ensemble a chance to heat up the room for an audience that cheered at its conclusion.
