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The Trio Anima Mundi presented another mixed bag of offerings that combined the well-known, a recently discovered piece of masterful juvenilia, and the first published work from a neglected composer.
The three scores, based around an Opus 1 theme, began with the Piano Trio by Hermann Goetz, a gifted German musician of the post-Mendelssohn, pre-Brahms era whose work has shades and premonitions of both. With a good deal of ornamental work for pianist Kenji Fujimura, the piece shone light on an earnest intellect.
Debussy's G minor Trio dates from his 18th year and has a claim to being an Opus 1, although it was only published in 1986. Like the Goetz, clear signs of influence come across, in particular the smooth if sometimes inconsequential lyricism of Massenet. Surprisingly, Fujimura again held prominence in this work, violinist Rochelle Bryson and cellist Miranda Brockman holding their fire with a restraint that somehow sapped the interpretation of some much-needed energy.
Still, the afternoon was hot and some intonation slips showed the string players' discomfort, although this abated in the well-thumbed pages of a true Opus 1, Beethoven's E flat Trio, which bounded past with welcome energy and persuasive authority.
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