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Prometheus Trio
Prometheus Trio
The Prometheus Trio closes its 2023–2024 season at the Wisconsin Conservatory with two compositions, one by Mozart and the other by Mendelssohn. Stefanie Jacob, the trio’s pianist, volunteered that “playing Mozart’s Divertimento for String Trio K. 563 is a bucket-list piece for Scott and that he's so happy to finally return to it for the first time since graduate school.”
Scott Tisdel is the cellist with the Trio and will be joined by Yuka Kadota, guest violinist, and Robert Levine, guest violist, to play the Divertimento, Mozart’s final composition for string trio. And while divertimentos are often light-hearted in tone, this one is a serious undertaking in six movements displaying all of Mozart’s talents as a composer. Indeed, Mozart played the viola part when it was debuted in Dresden on April 13, 1789.
The Divertimento is a challenge for the musicians and almost symphonic in its undertaking. As Tisdel points out in his program notes: Mozart’s first minuetto features scurrying passagework and humorous cross accents, while the Trio showcases each of the three instruments in cadenza-like passages. The second Mminuetto imitates hunting horns at the outset, and has a rustic folksiness throughout. Mozart complicates the form by writing two trios: The first is a rather boozy waltz featuring the viola, while the second features the violin in graceful arabesques.
“It is long and difficult; one I haven’t played since I was a graduate student,” Tisdel says. And now that this is in rehearsal he admits, “The Mozart is more difficult than I remembered, but it’s completely worth it.” We will have to wait until the coming season to see if he gets to sit out part of a concert. I’m tempted to say all is fair in love and programming. (Stefanie and Scott are married.)
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Robert Levine, principal violist with the MSO, wished to remind us that “Mozart’s role as an innovator is sometimes overlooked, given every other aspect of his genius. But he essentially invented both the string quintet (two violins, two violas, and one cello) and the string trio as well as writing the greatest examples of both forms. And no one before him had written chamber music that had required such virtuosity from violists or cellists. It’s a little humbling to play the same part that Mozart played in what must have been almost his last public appearance as a string player.”
Yuko Kadota, a first violinist with the MSO, added that “This will be my first time performing the Divertimento and Robert gave me a heads up in January about how formidable this piece was, not only in terms of concentration and stamina but also in terms of the appropriate amount of reverence that should be given for what Mozart so masterfully did for the string trio genre with this work. There is so much in here—innovation, creativity and great scope of emotion.” She noted while playing the second movement she can “imagine Mozart having in particular mind his friend Puchberg to whom he dedicated this work and who had lost his daughter recently.”
After intermission Stefanie returns with Scott and Yuka to play Mendelssohn’s Trio in C Minor, Op. 66. The Trio is a delightfully romantic composition and a wonderful way of closing out the season. Composed in 1845, it’s filled with motives and sounds from the past, e.g., his Hebrides Overture and Scottish Symphony. It also provided inspiration for Brahms which can be heard in Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 and his Piano Quartet No. 3.
Jacob confesses “the challenges of its piano part in this trio are legendary – even the composer, by all accounts an extraordinary pianist, told his sister that it was ‘a trifle nasty to play’ though he went on to say that it was ‘not really difficult’, thereby offending at least one current pianist!”
Kadota confirms that “the Mendelssohn is more than a trifle nasty, in my humble opinion, for the piano and Stefanie pulls it off brilliantly. What I love particularly about the Mendelssohn is how many beautiful melodies he keeps throwing at you. The first and last movements each start with great melodies in minor and then all of a sudden, the curtains are drawn back and in stream the sunbeams of gorgeous major melodies. If that weren’t enough, the entire second movement … it’s just a wonderful feast.”
This program concludes an exciting season, and we can certainly look forward to more wonderful concerts in 2024–2025.
The concerts take place in the Helen Bader Recital Hall of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Complimentary parking is available at Milwaukee Eye Care, 1684 N. Prospect Ave., one block north of the Conservatory. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased and further information found on their website, wcmusic.org.
