A Trinity Alps Chamber Players Groupmuse

Yesterday evening at Monument SF, Ian Scarfe, founder and Director of the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, presented his latest groupmuse concert. He was joined by violinist Sam Weiser and cellist Evan Kahn in a program whose “main event” was the performance of Robert Schumann’s Opus 80 (second) piano trio in F major. This served as the concluding “bookend” of the program, which began with another Schumann selection, three selected movements from the Opus 102 Five Pieces in Folk Style, a duo for cello and piano. Between these two pieces Scarfe gave a solo performance of the first and third movements from Samuel Barber’s Opus 20 Excursions, after which he was joined by Weiser for the first movement (entitled “Relaxed Grooves”) of John Adams 1995 suite Road Movies.

Scarfe provided remarks for each of these selections. Such commentary is often risky business, but Scarfe managed to find that “sweet spot” between saying too little and saying too much. It was clear that he had cultivated a strong personal attachment to each of the selections; but it was just as clear that, for the entire evening, the experience was all about the music taking priority over the musicians.

Both of the Schumann selections were composed during a particularly productive period in his life. (Just look at the difference between the opus numbers.) Where the trio was concerned, this was also a period of retrospective reflection. The first movement of the trio includes a quotation taken from a much earlier song cycle, the Opus 39 Liederkreis, appropriating the theme of the second song, “Intermezzo.”

Schumann composed three piano trios. The first of these, Opus 63 in D minor, was composed in the same year as Opus 80, 1847. The third trio, Opus 110 in G minor, came much later in 1851. Unless I am mistaken, my only previous encounters with any of them took place at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). (All three of last night’s performers are SFCM alumni.) By the same account, I was glad to have an opportunity to listen to some of Barber’s piano music, since, these days, encounters with any of his music are few and far between. Adams has fared much better in garnering attention, but it was still a pleasure to experience the playfulness that Scarfe and Weiser brought to his music.

The entire program took place in a setting that was both casual and intimate, which is exactly what good chamber music listening requires.