Trio Anima has extraordinary high level of musicianship (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Trio Anima has extraordinary high level of musicianship

8:50am Saturday 5th November 2011 in Gig and concert reviews By Brian Paynes

Trio Anima

Kendal Town Hall

PRIOR to the Kendal Midday Concert Club’s latest recital a panegyric and presentation was made to Elizabeth Howe, the club’s recently-retired artists’ secretary. Her reign lasted 15 years and during that time, due largely to her unstinting work in the overseeing of 192 concerts, the club contributed hugely to Kendal’s high cultural standing. The booking of the Trio Anima (one of her last acts) was typical of her achievements because for many reasons, their recital was quite wonderful; an unusual combination of flute, viola and harp, an extraordinarily high level of musicianship and a refreshing programme content (no Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven!).

These young players possess the ability to reach the heart of their music; their Telemann Sonata arrangement was truly Baroque in idiom although the harp’s continuo role was rather too prominent; the Hebrew flavour of Ben-Haim’s Chamber Music was captured with a moving intimacy and playing from memory in both Bax’s Elegiac Trio and Debussy’s Sonata they, with technical and emotional finesse, achieved a perfect ensemble. Meanwhile, the delights of Ibert’s Deux Interludes were projected – as, indeed, had been the case throughout – with ever-present refinement.

Elizabeth Howe, I’m certain, must have been captivated.