2008 Woodie Awards
Trio bolsters classical music
JOHN BARRETT
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Out & About
"It should be a part of our Western heritage to get to know the great works of Western culture, whether it's Shakespeare or classical music," she said. "But America has somewhat lost touch with that history we inherited from Europe."
Hahn also stressed the sheer skill and ability required to perform classical music.
"It's important for young people to see musicians who have a very refined skill, doing something that they've worked really hard at," she said.
The trio was founded in 1992 by violinist Timothy Baker.
Baker, who is sustaining an arm injury, is currently unable to perform and will be replaced by Peña.
"For many years, Adela was the violinist for the Eroica Trio, which is another very well known classical trio, so she knows the repertoire inside and out," Hahn said of the recent lineup change.
Despite being named in honor of Mozart, the Amadeus Trio specializes in a wide spectrum of classical pieces.
Tomorrow's performance will feature trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, 20th-century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich and German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn.
"The trio we're performing by Beethoven is called 'The Ghost Trio' because its middle movement has a lot of tremolos in the piano and it's very mysterious," Hahn said. "But the piece by Shostakovich has a particular relevance to today because it's reflective of the tragedies of World War II. And with the wars going on in the world today, it's particularly meaningful."
Hahn describes the Mendelssohn trio as a "wonderful, romantic, virtuosic piece," as well as a contrast to the darker Shostakovich trio.
Although classical music is considered a high art and does not generally interact with the audience, the Amadeus Trio is aiming for quite the opposite: The performance is free and attendees are encouraged to meet the group after the show.
"Even if students are skeptical, they might like it more than they think," Hahn said. "We've been to many campuses where students are forced to come as a class requirement, but they're always amazed at how much they enjoy it."
Hahn also stressed the sheer skill and ability required to perform classical music.
"It's important for young people to see musicians who have a very refined skill, doing something that they've worked really hard at," she said.
The trio was founded in 1992 by violinist Timothy Baker.
Baker, who is sustaining an arm injury, is currently unable to perform and will be replaced by Peña.
"For many years, Adela was the violinist for the Eroica Trio, which is another very well known classical trio, so she knows the repertoire inside and out," Hahn said of the recent lineup change.
Despite being named in honor of Mozart, the Amadeus Trio specializes in a wide spectrum of classical pieces.
Tomorrow's performance will feature trios by Ludwig van Beethoven, 20th-century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich and German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn.
"The trio we're performing by Beethoven is called 'The Ghost Trio' because its middle movement has a lot of tremolos in the piano and it's very mysterious," Hahn said. "But the piece by Shostakovich has a particular relevance to today because it's reflective of the tragedies of World War II. And with the wars going on in the world today, it's particularly meaningful."
Hahn describes the Mendelssohn trio as a "wonderful, romantic, virtuosic piece," as well as a contrast to the darker Shostakovich trio.
Although classical music is considered a high art and does not generally interact with the audience, the Amadeus Trio is aiming for quite the opposite: The performance is free and attendees are encouraged to meet the group after the show.
"Even if students are skeptical, they might like it more than they think," Hahn said. "We've been to many campuses where students are forced to come as a class requirement, but they're always amazed at how much they enjoy it."
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