MUSIC REVIEW : Beethoven by Beaux Arts Trio

The Beaux Arts Trio came to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Monday night with what appeared to be a loaded deck in its favor: a three-part Beethoven program. But the results proved unevenly satisfying, despite the attentive and elegant playing by the veteran group--pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Isadore Cohen and cellist Peter Wiley.

The concert began with the 14 Variations on an Original Theme, Opus 44, an early, lightweight work that came close to evaporating in the Pavilion acoustic. The Trio’s delicate approach seemed appropriate to the work, but given the outsized surroundings it only added to the lack of substance of the music.

The Piano Trio in E-flat, Opus 70, No. 2, proved elusive in impact as well. While the players brought tender detail and shapely phrasing to quiet passages, the big statements lacked convincing sonority and breadth. Cohen and Wiley appeared to be working much harder than the sound they produced indicated, and only Pressler’s upper register rang out clearly. There were moments, to be sure--the ebb and flow of the phrasing in the Scherzo, for instance--but they remained just that.

Things got better after intermission, as the Beaux Arts concluded with a thoroughly engaging performance of the “Archduke” Trio.

Here, the ensemble’s fully concentrated efforts bridged the gap between listener and performer; even the most intimate music came through with persuasive intensity. Beethoven’s noble melodies were projected with expansive authority not through the use of rhetorical devices, but rather through propulsive, connective lyricism. Accents were crisp and rhythms alert, even though the pace was leisurely. This resulted in a contemplative yet taut performance, the ensemble’s clear thoughts lending this sometimes sprawling score cohesiveness.