'TRIO EXCELSIOR!' AT WOODMERE
Noteworthy January 2026, Chestnut Hill Local
By Michael Caruso
The Trio Excelsior! performed an exciting recital at the Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill Saturday, January 24, only hours before the start of one of the regions’ most devastating snowstorms. Although the weather outside was beginning to threaten, the feeling inside Woodmere was warmly enveloping.
The evening’s principal work for violinist Yevgeniy Dyo, cellist Elina Snellman-Lang and pianist Marja Kaisla was Beethoven’s justly celebrated “Archduke” Trio, Opus 97. The 1814 work was given its nickname because the composer had dedicated the score to the Archduke Rudolf, the youngest son of Leopold II, Hapsburg Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in an imperial line stretching all the way back to Charlemagne in 800 A.D.
The work is divided into four movements: Allegro moderato, Scherzo allegro, Andante cantabile, and Allegro moderator. The trick(s) in interpreting and performing it are projecting the ever-changing moods of the four movements while linking them together into a single-focused classical presentation. Tremendous digital technique, expressive musicality and expert ensemble are all required for the score to come alive as Beethoven intended.
Fortunately for the audience that packed Woodmere’s Rotunda, the Trio Excelsior! met and even surpassed every challenge. The playing was tight in ensemble and balance, strongly centered structurally, and expansively expressive.
You can contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net
'TRIO EXCELSIOR!' AT WOODMERE
Noteworthy for February 6, 2025, Chestnut Hill Local
By Michael Caruso
Chestnut Hill's Woodmere Art Museum continued its series of "Classical Saturdays" Jan. 25 with "Trio Excelsior!" in a program of music by Anton Arensky and Astor Piazzolla.The recital drew an audience that overflowed Woodmere's Rotunda, one of the region's most beautiful and resonant concert venues.
"Trio Excelsior! Is comprised of pianist Marja Kaisla, cellist Elina Snellman-Lang and violinist Yevgeniy Dyo. Although relatively newly formed, they played with an astounding level of flawless ensemble, immaculate tuning and unshakeable balance.
Although Arensky's Trio in D minor is not quite an unimpeachable masterpiece, it assuredly deserves more notice from piano trios than it receives. Its four movements are well formed in the traditional structures of the romantic piano trio, it expresses deeply felt emotions convincingly developed, and it offers its players ample opportunities to express themselves.
That's precisely what Kaisla, Snellman-Lang and Dyo accomplished Saturday afternoon for their appreciative audience. They played with bracing precision, scintillating rhythmic dazzlement, shimmering timbres and explosive expressivity.
After intermission, they offered proof that Antonio Vivaldi wasn't the only composer to sketch a musical portrait of the seasons."Master of the Tango" Piazzolla proffered his own "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" and"Trio Excelsior!" brought it to a local audience in style.
TRIO EXCELSIOR! SILVER MEDAL WINNER,
6TH VIENNA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION 2025
"Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!
The jury unanimously agreed that you possess exceptional talent, remarkable musicality, and a highly accomplished technique. Your performances are both unique and moving, and your musical skills are truly impressive. The members of the Artistic Commission would like to extend their heartfelt recognition for your artistry." - Comments by the Competition`s judges
