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Fast and fearless but nary a note missed Classical SELBY & FRIENDS Reviewed by Harriet Cunningham After the well-received first tour of her new ensemble, TrioZ, Kathryn Selby is presenting the Janaki String Trio, an American violin-viola-cello combo. They are cracking. Formed less than two years ago, they have made their debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall, and anyone who was at this week’s Selby & Friends concerts will long remember their first Sydney appearances. Chamber music often gravitates – with good reason - to the classical heartland of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Mozart, but not here. The Janakis launched into their Australian debut with the violent chords that open Krzysztof Penderecki’s String Trio, written in 1990. It was loud, fearless and compelling. The work’s structure, with its extended solo passages for each instrument, served as a perfect introduction to the individual voices of the ensemble. And in case we needed convincing of their technical mastery, the final vivace was quick, taut and exhilarating. With Beethoven’s String Trio in G major, Op. 9 No. 1, the trio returned, with no less vigour, to more familiar territory and, with the help of the generous acoustics of St Andrew’s Cathedral, created a rich and expansive reading of this early work. The opening movement established the trio’s charismatic sound, while the meandering melody of the adagio took a while to find its way. The finale was fast – very fast – but in spite of the haste, every note was there, every gesture was shaped, and every phrase breathed. Pianist Selby joined the trio for the final work, Faure’s Piano Quartet in C minor, Op.15. they made a good team, with Selby working hard to keep up with the sonorous string phrases. In spite of its minor key, Faure’s piano quartet is a largely optimistic work, full of welcoming melodies, and it was with obvious enjoyment that the four musicians brought this outstanding concert to a brilliant close. Selby need never doubt that she has some very fine friends. |
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