March 11, 2018 — 4 PM
This will be Eroica Trio’s second time to perform at Impromptu. The most sought-after trio in the world, the Grammy®-nominated Eroica Trio thrills audiences with flawless technical virtuosity, irresistible enthusiasm and sensual elegance. Whether playing the great standards of the piano trio repertoire or daring contemporary works, the three young women who make up this celebrated ensemble electrify the concert stage with their passionate performances. The New York Times writes, “They play chamber music for the concert hall. There is an edge of the seat intensity to every note they produce.”
Reviews
Eroica Trio Brings a Unique Glamour to Impromptu Classical Concerts
By Raymond Baker

The vivacious ladies of the Eroica Trio – Erika Nickrenz, piano; Sara Parkins, violin; Sara Sant’Ambrogio. cello – last appeared in concert here in Key West two years ago. Their return last Sunday afternoon, March 11, attracted a full-capacity audience of music-lovers, many among them remembering the stylish Eroica ladies very well and knowing precisely what to expect.

A melody-rich program, for one thing. Immensely talented playing. A special verve and excitement. All are Eroica hallmarks. And one word may usefully sum it up: glamour. The first half of their program offered the Johann Sebastian Bach Chaconne from Partita No. 2, Albinoni’s Prelude in g minor, and a West Side Story Suite, music of Leonard Bernstein, in special arrangements for the three Eroica instruments. The second half of their program was given over to Ravel’s elegant Trio in a minor, as originally composed for piano, violin and cello.

The cleverly crafted Bach-Albinoni-Bernstein piano-violin-cello arrangements delivered a world of opportunities for Eroica’s note-by-note artistry in controlling and polishing tone, phrasing and pacing. Parkin’s violin found climax after climax to soar into. Sant’Ambrogio’s cello swooped and glided in impassioned partnership. And Nickrenz’s piano supplied a fine, fluent underpinning for the lushly expressive music-making. Bach and Albinoni, particularly, might have had a bit of a problem with Eroica’s elaborate glamourizing, admiring the trio’s dexterity and ingenuity, while perhaps deploring Eroica’s constant reaching for effect.

Hollywoodization? The audience loved every minute.

The Ravel Trio offered almost no opportunity for such busy beautification, and was performed in fine form with the cool, fastidious glamour Ravel had in mind. Saint-Saens The Swan from Carnival of the Animals was an encore treat, performed without affectation, and perfectly gorgeous.

Next Impromptu Classical Concert will be March 25, featuring Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet and Michael Brown, piano.. Their program will feature Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, written in Key West in1941. Tickets, as always, are reasonably priced at $20, students free - at the door, or via keystix.com (305-295-7676).

Concerts start at 4 pm, please come early for preferred seating.