Reviews
Endeavour Trio of delightful harmonies
Rodney Smith, The Advertiser
August 3, 2016 2:39pm
THIS wasn’t your average chamber music concert. It wrapped up a number of events over past days comprising the 2016 Accompanists’ Festival and was designed to show The Piano in Chamber Music. Clearly the organisers see accompanist as a catch-all term for various sorts of work pianists find themselves doing and Endeavour Trio pianist Stephen Emmerson was certainly exceedingly busy in every item.
To some extent the daunting program length was ameliorated by a wide variety of works, demonstrating various permutations involving a trio pianist. Perhaps most memorable were the two bookend compositions, Beethoven’s cheeky Piano Trio Op 11 and Brahms’ lofty Trio Op 114. The Endeavour’s other members, clarinetist Paul Dean and cellist Trish O’Brien were wholly at one with Emmerson in emphasising tonal beauty and control in both pieces. Their cumulatively extensive performance experience and mutual empathy certainly paid handsomely during the Brahms in which the Autumnal flavour of his final style pervaded every note. The Endeavour’s tonal palette was also particularly suited with depth, richness and sensitivity overarching characteristics.
The promotion of two awards for emerging composers Rachel Bruerville and Thomas Devereux seemed another unexpected but welcome departure for accompanists, and Endeavour’s premiere of A Chantar M’er and The Lights of Ibrahim confirmed these talented young musicians have plenty to say. Dean’s own recently written Trio was light years away, however, with its raw energy and plangent harmonies leaving us breathless.
Endeavour Trio
Elder Hall July 31
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/arts/endeavour-trio-of-delightful-harmonies/news-story/9386e92fdcd630d56ed7878de14e2903
London Observer July 10 2016
Paul Dean, Trish O'Brien with Igor Kennaway, London
Away from the glitter and glamour of international opera, most of us experience professional music-making at local level, in countless small concerts held in halls and churches all over the country. Sometimes – just sometimes – they can produce miraculous moments of alchemy. When the feathery lightness of Paul Dean’s clarinet joins with the coolly articulated cello of Trish O’Brien and the beautifully judged pianism of Igor Kennaway, musical gold pours forth. Their reading of the Mozart Kegelstatt Trio K498 was a sophisticated delight, an object lesson in playful interaction and sheer good taste. Monumental solemnity came in the form of Elégie Juive and Three Poems by Kennaway’s stepfather Benjamin Frankel, before there was a return to more cheeky fun in Beethoven’s bubbling Clarinet Trio in B flat major, Op 11.
It’s not always necessary to spend heavily on top-priced tickets to hear outstandingly talented musicians. Sometimes, just a few pounds left in a retiring collection can buy you an hour of heaven.
www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/10/il-trovatore-royal-opera-le-nozze-di-figaro-glyndebourne-dean-kennaway-o-brien-review
The Advocate
June 2015
Audience delighted with terrific trio
THE Endeavour Trio received enthusiastic applause for their recent performance as part of the Coffs Harbour Music Society's Winter Series. The program included the trios of Beethoven and Brahms beautifully executed by the talented Paul Dean, Stephen Emmerson and Coffs Harbour's own Trish O'Brien on cello.
www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/audience-delighted-with-terrific-trio/2694658/
June 2015
Audience delighted with terrific trio
THE Endeavour Trio received enthusiastic applause for their recent performance as part of the Coffs Harbour Music Society's Winter Series. The program included the trios of Beethoven and Brahms beautifully executed by the talented Paul Dean, Stephen Emmerson and Coffs Harbour's own Trish O'Brien on cello.
www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/audience-delighted-with-terrific-trio/2694658/