February 7 Alton C. Bynum Series — The Neave Trio

On Friday, February 7, 2020 at 8pm, the Neave Trio performs a concert for the Alton C. Bynum Series at Gordon College located in Philips Recital Hall (255 Grapevine Road). The program features Sergei Rachmaninoff’s thematic and colorful Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor and works recorded on Neave Trio’s most recent albums – Amy Beach’s Piano Trio, Op. 150 and Rebecca Clarke’s Piano Trio from Her Voice (Chandos Records, 2019) and Astor Piazzolla’s Estaciones Porteñas from Celebrating Piazzolla (Azica, 2018).

Composed late in her career, Amy Beach’s Piano Trio, Op.150, incorporates lush, romantic melodies over a variety of textures, tones, and impressionistic colors. Of their recording, The Strad praises, “The dreamy cello melody of the opening Allegro - luxuriously played by Mikhail Veselov - blooms into tender interplay between the strings. Violinist Anna Williams echoes Veselov’s delicate touch, underpinned by eminently sensitive pianism from Eri Nakamura. It’s a finely etched and persuasive performance…” One of her most prominent pieces, Rebecca Clarke’s Piano Trio showcases her unique harmonic language, influenced by both the French and British styles of the early 20th century, as well as by folk music. According to Gramophone, the Neave Trio delivers “a taut and vivid interpretation” and is “sumptuously recorded.”

Astor Piazzolla’s original score for Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas matched his quintet: bandoneón, piano, guitar, bass, and violin. José Bragato, who worked with Piazzolla for many years and arranged many of his works, created a stylish version for piano trio. True to the Argentine tango spirit, he takes liberties with textures, ornamentation, and other details of Piazzolla’s themes. Gramophone describes their 2018 recording as “thrilling,” having “wild energy,” and “electrifying,” while Classics Today writes, “the energetic edginess, the snap, the rhythm sound convincing, totally invigorating, and authentic.”

About Neave Trio: Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio – violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura – has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-­edge performances. WQXR explains, “’Neave’ is actually a Gaelic name meaning ‘bright’ and ‘radiant’, both of which certainly apply to this trio’s music making.” The Boston Musical Intelligencer included Neave in its “Best of 2014” and “Best of 2016” roundups, claiming, “their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier.”

Neave has performed at many esteemed concert series and at festivals worldwide, including Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 92nd Street Y, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music Series (United Kingdom), and the Samoylov and Rimsky Korsakow Museums' Chamber Music Series in St. Petersburg (Russia). The Trio has also appeared frequently as soloists for Beethoven's Triple Concerto with orchestras across the country and held residency positions at Brown University, University of Virginia, San Diego State University as the first ever Fisch/Axelrod Trio-in-Residence, and the Banff Centre (Canada), among many other institutions. Neave Trio was also in residence at the MIT School of Architecture and Design in collaboration with dancer/choreographer Richard Colton. In the fall of 2017, the Trio joined the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College as Alumni Artists, Faculty Ensemble‑in‑Residence.

Neave Trio strives to champion new works by living composers and reach wider audiences through innovative concert presentations, regularly collaborating with artists of all mediums. These collaborations include performances with the Blythe Barton Dance Company; graphic programmer Andrew Ringler and media artist Bing Lin; the interactive concert series “STEIN2.0,” with composer Amanuel Zarzowski; Klee Musings by acclaimed American composer Augusta Read Thomas, which was premiered by Neave; the premiere of Eric Nathan’s Missing Words V, sponsored by Coretet; and a music video by filmmaker Amanda Alvarez Díaz of Astor Piazzolla’s "Otoño Porteño.”

In addition to Her Voice and Celebrating Piazzolla, Neave Trio’s other recordings include French Moments (Chandos Records, 2018) featuring the only known piano trios by Debussy, Fauré, and Roussel and the group’s debut album, American Moments (Chandos Records, 2016), which includes works by Korngold, Foote, and Bernstein.

Highlights of Neave’s 2019-20 season include concerts at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Brown University, Feldman Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg, and the Boise Chamber Music Series, among many others.

The Alton C. Bynum Series at Gordon College was inaugurated in the 2014-15 season in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Gordon College, and is named in honor of Dr. Alton C. Bynum, who served on the faculty and as chair of the Department of Music from 1964 to 1999.

For more information, visit www.gordon.edu/recitalseries.