Trio on Irish popular melodies, W20 - Martin
Sones y Danzones Cubanos - Leo Brouwer
Trio No. 1, Op. 35 - Turina
MigueL Borrago (violin), Jose Miguel Gomez (cello) and Juan Carlos Garrayo (piano), in Sunday's concert at the Hugh Lane Gallery, showed two contrasting styles in the folk-inspired suite by Brouwer and in the full-blooded romanticism of Turina's Trio. Frank Martin's attempt to wed Irish tunes to classical procedures fell somewhere between the two.
It could be said that the concert gained in warmth as it proceeded, with an increasing response from the audience. Where Martin's work was shackled by the Irish melodies, Brouwer was able to treat his material with a welcome freedom; he seemed to be working from inside the tradition, Martin from outside. Not surprisingly, the Trio Arbos matched Brouwer's invention with playful enthusiasm and made the most of its quirkiness.
The richness of sound in Turina's Trio made the three instruments almost rival an orchestra. The work could, in a less wholehearted performance, have given the impression of salon music, but as it was it had unexpected stature.
