The Amelia Piano Trio
The Amelia Piano Trio
at Ravinia's Rising Stars Concert Series
review by Ed Vincent
The Amelia Piano Trio is a troika of talent. The members
are Rieko Aizawa, on piano; Anthea Kreston, on violin; and
Jason Duckles, on the cello. The group derives its name from
a long gone Guinea pig that Anthea Kreston had as a pet. The
Guinea pig always seemed happy to greet her and her cohorts
and since happiness is part of the reason that music is played,
it fit quite well. The members are light hearted and friendly,
their music is seriously excellent. If the Rising Stars moniker is
to herald the coming of new talent on the rise, these folks are
too good for such an adjective - their Star is already a Red
Giant and its continued growth demands a record company
sign them.
The performance center in Bennett Gordon Hall, located
within the John D. Harza building is intimate and gives one
the feeling of being at a small backyard event, though with
much better sound.
There is word that a new compact disc is on the way, but
for now their current cd is incredible. Their cd has a very
broad range of music styles and tastes. Jason Duckles, the
gifted cello player in the trio is also featured on the latest
release by Yo-Yo Ma (Beyond the Horizon, The Silk
Road Ensemble, Silk Road Journeys) - a great cd in itself.
The Amelia Piano Trio has a varied repertoire, and class
all the way from Bach to the modern atonal. On the
evening of their show at Ravinia I noted that the petite
pianist Rieko Aizawa, though hard to see behind the
majestic figures of both the violin and cello player, had
quick fluid hands that guided each note and chord to the
proper key with rapidity and accuracy. Her hands could
be seen flowing like waves of melodies as the tunes
sprang forth from the ensemble. Anthea Kreston, on violin
was dressed in beautiful gown, had a hieroglyphic tattoo
on one shoulder (meaning "Embrace Life"), and had
trained her gorgeous curls to dance with each movement
of her bow. Across from the statuesque violin
player, was a taller cello player. Jason Duckles, on
cello had his eyes trained on each movement of Ms.
Kreston, as they played in perfect syncopation, dancing
the notes together. Mr. Duckles also played some of
the most beautiful music written for cello when he
played some great numbers by Schubert.
This group will be all over the United States in the
next few months, but when they are near, it is well worth
your time and effort-plus the cost of admission to hear
this gifted group of players. Don't forget to buy their
album(s), too. Come to more shows at the Rising
Stars, featured at Ravinia.
"We're hoping to see the Amelia Piano Trio on the
mainstage at Ravian next, they're too good to be
playing anywhere but on a mainstage." OPJ
www.ravinia.org
The Current CD by the group is listed below:
http://www.ameliapianotrio.com/
The Amelia Piano Trio
Rieko Aizawa, piano
Anthea Kreston, violin
Jason Duckles, cello
Rieko Aizawa, piano
Anthea Kreston, violin
Jason Duckles, cello
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op. 67
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Trio in E-flat, Op.1#1
Astor Piazzolla
LiberTango
Johann Sebastian Bach
Double, Largo
"East Meets West"
Johannes Brahms
Trio, Andante grazioso
Johann Sebastian Bach
Trio Sonata, Allegro
Melody of the River
"East Meets West"
Franz Schubert
Piano Trio in B flat, D.898
Rainbow Dance
"East Meets West"
There is also a National Public Radio introduction
and an interview on the compact disc.
Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op. 67
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Trio in E-flat, Op.1#1
Astor Piazzolla
LiberTango
Johann Sebastian Bach
Double, Largo
"East Meets West"
Johannes Brahms
Trio, Andante grazioso
Johann Sebastian Bach
Trio Sonata, Allegro
Melody of the River
"East Meets West"
Franz Schubert
Piano Trio in B flat, D.898
Rainbow Dance
"East Meets West"
There is also a National Public Radio introduction
and an interview on the compact disc.
Formed six years ago, the Amelia Trio has already established an international reputation. Called "remarkable" by Strings and "exemplary" by Strad, the group almost immediately became one of the world's most sought after ensembles. In its short history the Amelia has been grand prize winner at the Yellow Springs National Competition and recipient of the prestigious ASCAP award for Adventurous Programming.
This year the trio was asked by National Public Radio to be the Young Ensemble in Residence. This exciting week of live concerts and interviews put the Amelia firmly in the foreground of classical music in America, reaching an estimated 1.8 million listeners. Performing 15 works that spanned the centuries - from a Bach trio sonata to a sneak-peek of John Harbison's new trio written for them, the Amelia has forged a lasting relationship with NPR.
The Amelia enjoys an active touring schedule which has brought them throughout North America as well as France, Italy, the French West Indies, and Panama. Highlights from this past season include performances in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Indianapolis, Maryland, and Alaska. Next season the trio is embarking on a collaborative project with Sean Curran Dance Company which will bring them to the Western States, including concerts in Seattle's Meany Hall. The ensemble has performed in concert to benefit the families and victims of the September 11 tragedy at New York's St. Patrick's Church, blocks from ground zero.
The Amelia Trio members have quickly made their mark as performers and commissioners of new music. Notably, Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison has written his first full-length Piano Trio for the Amelias ("Short Stories"). This trio is commissioned in part by the Caramoor International Music Festival and will receive its world premiere there on July 1. Other commissions for the Amelia include Augusta Read Thomas's A Circle Around the Sun , Adam Silverman's
“Sturm”, and David T. Little's "Piano Trio".
The Trio has been heard on many radio stations, including National Public Radio's "Performance Today", WFMT Chicago, and KPBS San Diego. The Trio has also been seen on the BBC as well as television programs in Japan and Germany.
The members of the Trio have a passionate dedication to the next generation of musicians. As teachers, members are professors at the Hartt School of Music and Connecticut College. They are very proud to have their own summer chamber music workshop, held in rural Wisconsin, now in it's sixth year. The Trio has been in residence at Weber State University in Utah, where they started the chamber music program, now in full swing. They have done award-winning work with AIDS Project Hartford, a home for abused children, and the Dayton Children's Hospital, where they were in residence for a week. In addition, they have received a grant from Chamber Music America for "Schmearing Music all over Middletown", a community-based residency in Connecticut.
The Trio has recorded the clarinet chamber works of Hindemith for Cedille Records, "This quartet is a masterpiece, and this is easily its best recorded performance" - Classics Today. Theyalso have recorded for Traditional Crossroads, a world music label, with their project
The trio is well known for its innovative projects, notably "East Meets West ". Growing out of the trio's work with Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Project (which has taken Amelia members from Carnegie Hall to Egypt and the steppes of Tajikistan), the trio adds traditional instumentalists from India or China for concert hailed by critics as "stunning". Encompassing a wide variety of styles, the group performs traditional Asian melodies, classics of the Western canon, and contemporary fusion.
The Amelia have developed a ground-breaking "Chamber Dance" program with dancer Sean Curran, which brings dance to the setting of a chamber music venue. ("He dances like a soul in free fall, furiously moving his limbs to express sadness, shame, and ecstasy." - New York Times) We hope to revolutionize the idea of music and dance in an intimate setting - bringing together the trio with a solo dancer - Sean, enabling venues that have previously been unable to have dance be able to enjoy the synergy of music and movement.
http://www.ameliapianotrio.com/
© Oak Park Journal
published by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
