Sparkling piano trios

Ensemble Reza showcased their trademark versatility when, after Friday evening’s effervescent Celebration of Musicals, they stepped back to the 18th and 19th centuries to play piano trios by Mozart and Dvorak in their May lunchtime concert in Haywards Heath.

Mozart’s Piano Trio No. 5 was as bright as the spring weather outside, with the musicians trading themes and motifs like the slick baton changes of a well-oiled relay team. Dvorak’s Piano Trio No. 4 – ‘Dumky’ – saw the mood of the music change from joy to melancholy and back in the space of a few bars. The depth of the sound produced made it hard to believe that only three instruments were in play. There was still time at the end for the bonus of Spring from Piazzolla's 'Four Seasons of Buenos Aires', to send us tangoing out into the Spring of Haywards Heath.

As always, the players’ individual virtuosity was harnessed for a collective purpose by musicians apparently joined at the hip, creating a whole that was so much greater than the sum of the parts. That’s what makes chamber music so special.

Reviewer - Jonathan Cawthra