Eisenstadt Trio Taps Musical Source

Author: Richard Lawless

It is not unusual to hear the classic melodies of Beethoven, Haydn or Mozart emanating from Middlebury College's Concert Hall on a Saturday night, but it is quite unusual to hear these melodies played on instruments built and used around the time these composers lived.
The Eisenstadt Trio did just this on Feb. 15, playing works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven using three string instruments from the 18th century.
Comprised of violinist Elizabeth Field, cellist Stephanie Vial and pianist Andrew Willis, the trio took the stage amidst a flurry of applause and commenced to tune its instruments. While Field and Vial played violin and violoncello, respectively, while Willis played an instrument not as commonly known nowadays: namely, the fortepiano, an instrument narrower than a modern grand piano yet just as long.
One challenge of playing older instruments is the difficulty in tuning them and their tendency to go out of tune quite quickly. Yet the Eisenstadt trio never missed a beat -- or more specifically, a note -- with the seamless harmonies of its instruments. The moment the trio began to play its first piece, Bach's "Piano Sonata in C Major," the difference in sound between period instruments and their modern successors became apparent.
The fortepiano had a much lighter and more metallic sound than a modern grand piano, which lent itself well to the airy and brisk melodies of Bach. Willis' fingers tackled the rapid-fire sixteenth notes of Bach's piece with astonishing agility, allowing the notes from the fortepiano to glide as gracefully as Bach had most likely intended.
The first movement, "Allegro di molto," began with an explosion of strings and fortepiano, moving at Bach's typical feverish pace. Eventually the piece slowed down in its midsection, allowing for the striking contrast of gentle fortepiano with sudden vociferous strokes of violin and violoncello.
Just when the piece seemed to be slowly drifting towards a close, the trio paused and launched back into a chaotically rapid tempest of sixteenth notes played con forza. Bach's sonata soon came to a delicate end, and after a brief pause to tune the instruments, the trio began Haydn's "Trio in E-flat Major."
The first movement, "Allegro moderato," began with an andante flourish of major chords, giving the piece a bright and sunny tone. The strings were more subdued in this piece than they were in Bach's, allowing all three instruments to give an equivalent output.
The trio utilized phrases in the music effectively, slowing down and lowering its volume before bursting into another passage with renewed vigor. Haydn's second movement, "Tempo di Menuetto," began exclusively with the fortepiano, and the strings quickly followed. The movement was graceful, concentrating more on melody than speed or quantity of notes. It contained many brief pauses, which the trio executed well, leaving the audience hanging on the last note and waiting eagerly for more.
Finishing in a full cadence, the conclusion of the piece was dramatic and expertly executed.
After another break to tune instruments, the trio commenced with Mozart's "Trio in B-flat Major." The first movement, "Allegro," was dominated by the fortepiano, which provided a memorable theme, echoed by the violin and violoncello.
A more adagio, legato feel characterized the second movement, "Larghetto," with the fortepiano and violin occasionally swapping melodic duties. The third movement, "Allegretto," bristled with energy, using major chords to facilitate a bright and celebratory finish.
The final piece of the night was Beethoven's "Trio in G Major." By far the longest piece of the evening, Beethoven's "Trio" seemed to use dynamics much more frequently than the preceding three pieces of the performance, balancing forceful passages with delicate fortepiano solos.
The second movement, "Largo con espressione" began with a minor key theme on the fortepiano, soon joined by an accompanying harmony sweetly played by violin and anchored by the cello.
The dominance of the minor key in this movement gave it a slightly melancholy feel, reinforced by the adagio pace of the music.
The melancholy air was soon lifted by the gregarious tone of the third movement, "Scherzo (Allegro)" and was boosted by the frantic energy of the "Finale (Presto)" culminating in the most exuberant and forceful ending of any of the four enchanting pieces played that night.
The Eisenstadt Trio's use of period instruments provided the audience with the unusual opportunity of hearing four classic pieces performed the way they were originally played. Part history lesson, part musical extravaganza, the Trio's performance was a rousing success.