Milestones give the cello a chance to impress

City Recital Hall, May 12

"LISTEN to the cello," was the pianist Kathryn Selby's advice in her introduction to TriOz's second program for the year. Good call.

Her directive was not just about putting the spotlight on the talented Emma-Jane Murphy. It was also to highlight how the role of the cello has developed over the past 200 years, from providing a solid bass for talented amateur music-making in Haydn's day to taking centre stage in Peter Sculthorpe's Night-Song.

The program was justified, on a superficial level, by birthday and memorial milestones: Mendelssohn was born 200 years ago, in the year of Haydn's death, and Sculthorpe has just turned 80. But aside from the numbers, the technical and emotional range of the program was impressive.

TriOz play Haydn very well. It is a pleasure to hear three musicians, each with a fearsome technique, singing out the tricky passages with brave clarity, and the violinist Niki Vasilakis's clear, uncluttered tone is becoming an ideal partner to Selby's razor-sharp playing. With all the notes taken care of, Haydn's playfulness shone through.

Dvorak's Trio in G minor demanded a shift into realms of romanticism, Czech-style. TriOz played the quiet meditation of the second movement with gentle poise, but held themselves in check during the wild finale.

Night-Song could almost be a love song to the cello, demonstrating a deep affinity with its expressive range. Murphy took on the role of contralto diva with grace, soaring into the instrument's higher registers like a bird taking flight.

It was, however, in Mendelssohn's Trio in D minor for piano, violin and cello that TriOz showed how far they have come from domestic beginnings. From the outset the cello was a key player, stating the theme and prompting violin and piano to join rather than lead the discussion.

The scherzo was a sustained display of virtuosity and deep understanding from all three musicians, and the finale was a passionate celebration.