Trios

THE KOGAN, CHANG, AND MA concert was bound to be deluged. With people arriving an hour early, many had to be turned away, but some sneaked in the back. 400 enthusiasts were carried through the flamboyance and dash of Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, op. 47 (1803), and the ethereal nuances of Schubert's Piano Trio in E Flat, op. 100 (1827).

The Kreutzer demands a virtuoso technical display and got one from Lynn Chang, violin, and Richard Kogan, piano. Chang bravely began the first movement, Adagio sostenuto--Presto, with a violin solo fugue. Kogan joined Chang, and with three decisive chords, the movement was set. The two played distinctively, yet cooperatively, Chang driving and assertive, and Kogan mature and alert. The second movement, Andante con Variazioni, is a musical puzzle of Theme and Variations. The movement is long, the tempo is slower, and the variations get a little tedious, so more concentration is needed on the performers' part to keep projecting a mood and to keep the audience's attention. Excitement resumed in the third movement, Finale: Presto. Here it was clear that Chang was leading a race in which Kogan kept up admirably.

Of the two Schubert piano trios, the E Flat is the more lyrical. In it Schubert composed one of his most exquisite melodies. This melody, slow and yearning in the second movement, Andante con moto, recurs in the fourth movement, Allegro moderato, transforms to major, and ends the trio grandly. Kogan, Chang, and Yo-Yo Ma's performance of the Trio transfixed the audience.

The first movement, Allegro, was refined to the last trill. Communication between the members of the trio was heartfelt, but the blending of the piano, cello, and violin depended on where you sat. People on the right had trouble hearing Kogan, people in back, Ma, and people on the left, Chang. This mattered little in the second movement, which was the evening's highlight. A rush of applause and ovation cheered the trio for one of the most exciting performances at Harvard in many years.