United States ‘WinterFest 2026’ [1] – Martin, Dvořák: Trio Laval (Jordan Bartel [violín], Sarina Zhang [cello], Sean Terada Yang [piano]. Lyrica Boston, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 9.1.2026. (LV)
Frank Martin – Trio sur des mélodies populaires irlandaises
Dvořák – Piano Trio No.3 in F minor, Op.65
Lyrica Boston’s ‘WinterFest 2026’ opened on 9 January with a live performance that felt like actual chamber music within the outdated sense: shut quarters, direct communication and an viewers of 75 totally engaged with the music. Pairing Frank Martin’s Trio on Irish People Tunes with Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Trio No.3 in F minor, the youthful virtuosos of Trio Laval gave performances that affirmed the ability of music to deal with a common soul. In addition they affirmed the distinctive qualities of Lyrica Boston as an intensive program of chamber music for rising professionals run by two consummate inheritors of the good Romantic legacy, violinist Laura Bossert and cellist Terry King. As Jordan Bartel stated in his introduction to the Martin, ‘They educate you learn how to play such as you’. And as Man Fishman, principal cellist of Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, instructed me, ‘Lyrica Boston’s program is superior’.
After the opening tendrils of the Martin gave method to Irish tunes with their spare Celtic harmonic turns and sense of decision, Sarina Zhang’s cello shortly took the lead with an eloquent, singing tone, establishing a story presence that anchored the ensemble. When extra violent materials entered, the dynamic modifications had been sharply drawn, but the quieter passages retained a charismatic hush. The expertise was an unalloyed delight – no orchestral padding, no extra, simply uncovered textures and threat.
In reality, the intimacy of the room sharpened every part. At moments, Sean Terada Yang’s piano might have barely overwhelmed the steadiness, missing a contact of readability, however the tradeoff was immediacy. The gradual motion’s placing cello solo was stuffed with spirit, reflection and longing, together with a piece with cello pizzicato that spoke with uncommon presence. The later actions leaned into character: a Highland dance ambiance emerged, adopted by a grotesque march-like piano determine, till the ultimate jig broke free right into a full-blooded dance, exuberant and unapologetic.
From the opening of Dvořák’s Piano Trio No.3 in F minor, impressed, maybe, by Brahms’s Piano Quintet in the identical key, the taking part in projected an intoxicating mix of Romantic energy, authenticity and fervour. The second motion’s second part felt magical, its sense of timing precise, with great rippling piano chords supporting the strings. Within the Poco adagio third motion, Bartel floated a excessive word with disarming ease, the road suspended simply lengthy sufficient to register its fragility. The Finale surged ahead with pulsing power; the rising scales close to the tip had severe urgency, an impression bolstered by the trio’s refusal to melt the work’s edges.
All through the night, Trio Laval performed as musicians deeply linked by shared intuition. That cohesion isn’t any accident. Shaped on the College of Michigan in 2024, the ensemble has shortly constructed a profile that mixes awards, wide-ranging journey and a transparent dedication to underperformed repertoire. Their live performance felt not like an idea imposed from exterior however a pure extension of how they pay attention to at least one one other. In Lyrica Boston’s chamber-music room, their shared approach of listening formed and enriched the whole expertise.
Laurence Vittes
