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 previous sense: shut quarters, direct communication and an viewers of 75 absolutely 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 handle 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 train you the way to play such as you’. And as Man Fishman, principal cellist of Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, advised me, ‘Lyrica Boston’s program is superior’.
After the opening tendrils of the Martin gave technique to Irish tunes with their spare Celtic harmonic turns and sense of decision, Sarina Zhang’s cello rapidly took the lead with an eloquent, singing tone, establishing a story presence that anchored the ensemble. When extra violent materials entered, the dynamic adjustments 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.
The truth is, the intimacy of the room sharpened all the things. At moments, Sean Terada Yang’s piano could have barely overwhelmed the stability, missing a contact of readability, however the tradeoff was immediacy. The gradual motion’s putting 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 enjoying projected an intoxicating mix of Romantic power, authenticity and fervour. The second motion’s second part felt magical, its sense of timing actual, with fantastic rippling piano chords supporting the strings. Within the Poco adagio third motion, Bartel floated a excessive observe 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 rapidly 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 outdoors however a pure extension of how they pay attention to 1 one other. In Lyrica Boston’s chamber-music room, their shared means of listening formed and enriched all the expertise.
Laurence Vittes
