MUSIC REVIEW : Francesco Trio Plays Schuller, Dvorak, Beethoven

The provocative program that the veteran Francesco Trio brought to the Leo S. Bing Theater at the County Museum of Art on Wednesday lacked neither drama nor commitment.

Beethoven’s C-minor Trio, Opus 1, No. 3, is a tough way to begin a program, particularly for the pianist.

On this occasion, the opening Allegro foundered on a goodly number of spilled notes by pianist Nathan Schwartz and the recessive participation of violinist Miwako Watanabe and cellist Bonnie Hampton, who are, under any circumstances, given merely supporting roles by the composer.

Schwartz’s work in the deliciously convoluted theme-and- variations slow movement, however, took on its customary fluidity, and ensemble remained taut and polished for the duration.

Gunther Schuller’s 1984 Trio is, in two of its three brief movements, a brilliantly crafted essay in mixed-bag modernism.

Its opening section features a particularly attractive waltz theme, hobbled rather than flowing: a sweet-and-sour Second Viennese School dance in a seedy ballroom.

The bluesy central movement likewise projects a distinctively Schullerian tartness, with strong lyric statements for each of the three players.

Then, in the finale, the composer fouls his nest with some desperate shtick, replete with finger-popping, foot-stamping and hand-clapping. The expert performers seemed embarrassed by the contrivances.

Tackling Dvorak’s vast F-minor Trio, Opus 65, after such exertions showed more courage than programming wisdom.

After a raggedly raging opening movement, where the pianist seemed quite overwhelmed, the Francesco performance could be admired for Hampton’s commanding rhythmicality and buttery tone, and for Watanabe’s soulfulness--above all, her radiant statement of the sublime B-major theme in the slow movement.

Still, in the corner movements there was palpable strain in the violinist’s attempts to meet Dvorak’s exorbitant demands for ever more volume, ever more expressive intensity.