The Merz Trio kickstarted Newport Classical’s season at the Newport Classical Recital Hall at Emmanuel Church in downtown Newport, Rhode Island, on Friday, and they brought the audience to their feet with their closing piece by Johannes Brahms. Comprised of Brigid Coleridge on the violin, Julia Yang on cello, and Amy Yang on piano, the trio of talented ladies that make up the Merz Trio certainly set a high standard for Newport Classical’s season.
The performance trio brought an intriguing program that included pieces that spanned the gamut of time, beginning with “Hymn O ignee spiritus,” by 12th-century composer Hildegard von Bingen and arranged by the trio. Stirred by fire, music, balm, and gemstones, the work certainly set a commanding tone to the evening, with the trio calling to mind the power of the Holy Spirit, a concept that inspired von Bingen to write the piece.
The three women brought a distinct passion to each selection, combining this with a remarkable synchronicity that greatly added to the opening night performance. Merz Trio brought their fascinating interpretation to several of the pieces, arranging Henry Purcell’s 17th century “Hush no More” from “The Fairy Queen,” Alma Mahler’s “Laue Sommermacht” from “Funf Lieder,” and Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Empfangnis” from Lieder Op. 2. Their vocal interpretations from “The Fairy Queen” were particularly spellbinding and fun.
The three musicians played a wonderful arrangement by Miles Walter of influential jazz composer Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight.” A short piece by Robert Schumann, “Six Studies in Canonic Form,” explored the composer’s relationship with his wife, Clara Schumann, one of history’s most celebrated pianists. Listening to that particular piece gave me greater insight into their marriage, and I’m very grateful to Merz Trio for that enlightening experience during the concert. As someone who studied piano when I was little, I was always fascinated by Clara Schumann’s story and appreciated the insightful talk that each musician gave throughout the concert, including before “Six Studies.”
“Merz Trio performs Schumann & Brahms” lived up to their concert title, saving the two best pieces for the conclusion. Schumann’s glorious “Piano Trio No. 2 in F Major Op. 80” closed out the first half of the program, rapturously sending the audience into intermission, where they got to sip on wine courtesy of Greenvale Vineyards and some seriously delicious brownies.
The last piece, Brahms’ “Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 was simply sublime and cast a divine spell on the audience. The combination of Schumann and Brahms was quite serendipitous since the two composers were close friends in the 19th century. Brahms was very close to the Schumanns, especially providing comfort to Clara Schumann when Robert was confined to a mental hospital towards the end of his life.
The Merz Trio evening was dedicated to a longtime supporter of Newport Classical (NC), Sue Levy Klau, who had passed away on August 8. Klau had served on the Newport Classical Board for two decades.
The next Newport Classical concert will bring pieces by Felix Mendelssohn and Benjamin Britten (a particular favorite composer of mine) by the Ariel Quartet on Sept. 27.
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