Music Reviews : Lanier Trio Appears in List-Glenn Series

None of the trappings of a glamorous chamber music event attended what should have been a resplendent debut appearance, when the Lanier Trio played at Cal State L.A. on Monday night.

Though the series, the List-Glenn Institute for Piano and Strings, in which the ensemble performed may have its built-in prestige, the surroundings lacked cachet.

Acoustically, the otherwise handsome, functional, 400-seat Cal State L.A. Theater seems better suited to theatrical offerings than to chamber music. On Monday, the hall severely dampened the brilliance of Cary Lewis’ aggressive and sensitive pianism; similarly, the full resonance of Walter Schwede’s violin and Dorothy Lewis’ cello seemed never to materialize.

Consequently, the total sound had to be less, not more, than the sum of its parts in color, projection and size.

And the lack, in numbers as well as in sophistication, of a large and supportive audience took its toll in the general ambiance of modesty. Add the unatmospheric lighting in what used to be called the State Playhouse, and you have a sad environment in which to play trios by Haydn, Turina, Muczynski and Smetana.

Nevertheless, the Lewises and their sometime partner--Schwede is the permanent substitute in this trio, having played in it, off and on, for 15 years (the regular violinist is William Preucil)--performed splendidly. Even though one never felt the full force of their combined musical personalities, probably due to the acoustics, this was still a satisfying evening.

The Lanier Trio, resident ensemble at Georgia State University in Atlanta, began the proceedings mordantly, with Haydn’s F-sharp minor Trio (No. 27), specifying and delivering all its facets and moods.

Then, Turina’s breezy Trio in B minor surprised us with a sunny view of another part of the forest. Muczynski’s neo-Shostakovichian Trio No. 2 (1975) lived up to its models in poignancy and compactness.

In a genuine chamber-music room, one not necessarily larger or smaller than this one, but more hospitable to sound and resonance, Smetana’s cherishable G-minor Trio might have overwhelmed the listener with its pungent beauties and sudden mood changes, its alternating grace and vehemence.

In this room, even performed with fiery accuracy by the Laniers, it became too often antiseptic and cool. Poor musicians: always at the mercy of their surroundings.