Trio Karenine, three young but already highly renowned French musicians on their first American tour, will be featured in the final concert of the Hawaii Concert Society’s 61 st season at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday.
Their concert at the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Center will include works by Czech composers Antonin Dvorak and Josef Suk, together with one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s epic compositions, his “Ghost” Trio.
Founded in Paris in 2009, Trio Karenine bears the name of Tolstoy’s beautiful and emotionally honest heroine, Anna Karenina. Made up of Charlotte Juillard (violin), Louis Rodde (cello) and Paloma Kouider (piano), the trio has won numerous chamber music competitions and been acclaimed by critics and audiences throughout Europe for its musical integrity and passionate interpretations of works ranging from the 18 th century to the present day.
Like most musicians, Trio Karenine suffered through the COVID-19 pandemic, not only financially, but also emotionally.
“It was quite the relief to actually be able to play, to be able to perform and share again the vibrations and the connection between the musician and the audience,” cellist Rodde said recently.
The concert will begin and end with works by two Czech composers. Josef Suk was only 15 when he completed the first draft of his Op. 2 piano trio. The final version was completed two years later following suggested changes by Antonin Dvorak. Suk became Dvorak’s most prized pupil; their relationship was further cemented a few years later when Suk married the great composer’s daughter.
Dvorak’s F-minor trio, written almost a decade before Suk became his student, is regarded by many as among the peaks of Dvorak’s accomplishments, due to the deepness of its emotions, combined with the care he took over the details of musical logic and ensemble writing.
The centerpiece of the concert is the Beethoven trio and its centerpiece is its middle movement, which stands in strong contrast to the music of optimism and energy of the movements that surround it.
Carl Czerny, Beethoven’s student, commented that the ominous slow movement of the trio reminded him of the ghost scene in the opening of Hamlet, and the nickname has remained to this day.
Tickets for the concert are $25 (general), $20 (60-plus) and $10 (students) and are available at The Most Irresistible Shop and Music Exchange. Phone orders also can be made through the UH-Hilo Performing Arts Center Box Office (932-7490).
Remaining tickets will be available at the door after 6:45 p.m.
