Review: The Mithras Trio at Horsham Music Club

Seldom can a chamber trio have been more appositely named! Mithras was an ancient Aryan god of light, closely associated with Helios, the sun-god. And for one satisfied audience-member, his parting remark to the performers – ‘You have revived my faith in chamber music!’ - must have made their every effort worthwhile. They shone a piercing light on each of the four works they performed, starting with a work by Frank Bridge. Born in Brighton, so a very ‘local lad’, Bridge's wonderful Phantasie epitomises the rather lush late Romantic style typical of his first period, with a stormy, dramatic opening, sweeping melodic themes, a central slow movement followed by a sprightly scherzo, before returning to the initial dramatic flourish and a revisiting of the main themes. And all this within 16 minutes! The Mithras Trio, all individually superb musicians, seem to have a very real musical symbiosis, so that every swift change of tempo, mood or dynamic works in total accord. The Beethoven ‘Ghost’ Trio which followed was equally successful, whether the players were supporting each other’s solo lines, whispering in an eerie pianissimo, or chasing each other in one of the vigorous fugal passages. One felt that Beethoven himself would have thoroughly approved of their confident muscular playing, and their evident enjoyment!

After the interval we were introduced to two effectively contrasting pieces by Lili Boulanger, followed by the A minor Trio by her better-known compatriot, Ravel. All the introductions were perfectly judged: informal but informative – what more could an audience ask for? Lili Boulanger was an extraordinarily talented musician and composer, dying tragically at the age of 24, and the delightfully lively and tuneful ‘D’un matin de printemps’ was her final work. It has a sibling work, the contrastingly melancholy ‘D’un soir triste’, with its ambiguous cluster chords and subdued, bell-like sonorities, and together they showed two very contrasting sides of Lili’s character.

The Ravel Trio was a quite exceptional performance from all three players, with all the elegance of the opening Modéré, based on the asymmetrical 3+2+3 rhythm of the Basque zortziko, and the technical virtuosity, ruminative breadth and sheer joie de vivre each subsequent movement demanded. The players were off to perform the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the HSO straight afterwards – what a truly inspirational trio of musicians they are, and how wonderful that they are supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, giving us the chance to enjoy such an exhilarating and illuminating chamber music concert!

Review by Jane Thomas