Chamber Emotions Meet Achievements

Three levels of emotionalism--feelings on the surface, feelings overwrought and feelings transcended--measured the progress of the latest L.A. Philharmonic Chamber Music Society program, Monday night at Gindi Auditorium. As the levels rose, so did the young performers’ achievements.

Taneyev’s jolly/serious String Trio in D launched this generous, neatly played evening, in a committed, sometimes instrumentally unbalanced reading by violinist Mischa Lefkowitz, violist Minor Wetzel and cellist Stephen Custer.

In an impassioned, gutsy, well-contrasted performance, Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet appropriately occupied a higher plateau of musical heat, especially as delivered fearlessly by an accomplished ensemble consisting of violinists Mark Kashper and Ingrid Chun, violist Meredith Snow and cellist Ben Hong. A guest on the series, American pianist Daniel Shapiro dominated, not by decibels, but by mastery in the program-closing Trio in C, Opus 87, by Brahms.

This, the composer’s second piano trio, occupies a spot analogous to Brahms’ second violin sonata in that its emotional journey takes place below the surface, while much of its surface seems deceptively calm.

With expert partnering from violinist Mitchell Newman and cellist Hong, Shapiro guided the progress of the work with Brahmsian completeness, easy command and mellow tone, avoiding stridence as well as preciosity. The piece demands subtlety and authority in equal parts; the pianist provided both, plus a serious array of pianistic colors to illuminate the details.