The classical music world is filled with overlooked composers, including a few ripe for rediscovery and reassessment.
Among the latter is Leon Kirchner, 88, who studied with Arnold Schoenberg, Roger Sessions and Ernest Bloch. Though long respected by cognoscenti, he has never received the wider recognition he deserves.
To that end, the Claremont Trio, a fine all-female group, made his Piano Trio No. 2 (1993) the centerpiece of its concert Thursday evening at the Lakewood Cultural Center.
It was a timely performance. Earlier this month, the Orion String Quartet shined the spotlight on Kirchner’s four under-
appreciated string quartets in a concert in New York City that attracted considerable praise.
The Claremont did much the same for this powerful 20-
minute trio, making a persuasive argument during a gripping performance that this is a major work that deserves to be played much more frequently.
Running through it is a romanticism of a very specific kind – sharp-edged, dark-hued, even stark at times. In her helpful introduction, cellist Julia Bruskin aptly suggested that the work can be heard as a series of memory fragments, asserting themselves and then receding.
The music is agitated, unsettled, with one passage charging into the next. The piece never calms, never resolves. Though always tonal, dissonances occur, often between the violin and cello in high register.
There are even what might be described as ghostly utterances: pinched, pained violin passages, vividly executed by Emily Bruskin, the cellist’s twin sister.
Concluding the trio’s appealing, well-balanced program of selections from three centuries was Johannes Brahms’ Trio in B major, Op. 8, one of the great chamber music masterpieces.
Although there were a few weak moments, including some ill-defined phrasing and muddled sound in the scherzo second movement, it was a robust, propulsive performance overall, capturing the essential spirit of this autumnal, deeply emotional work.
Franz Josef Haydn’s sunny Trio in E major, HV:28, opened the evening.
The heart of this young trio, formed in 1999 at the Juilliard School, is Julia Bruskin, with her pleasingly tawny tone and big sound. She is well-matched by her sister, with pianist Donna Kwong rounding out the group.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
