The Bonetti Trio

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 8

The Bonetti Trio

The Bonetti Trio at the Great Hall, Arts Centre, October 5, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman. Perhaps it was their attire, reminiscent of the uniforms of salon musicians or perhaps it was the way they tended to sentimentalise their Haydn, or maybe it was simply the knowledge of a family connection in the trio; whatever the reason, last evening’s recital by the Bonetti Trio was tinged with an oldfashioned atmosphere. It was as if the Bonettis were holding a soriee of refined airs. The period of the Great Hall architecture reinforced this notion, as did the intimate ambience the trio’s performance produced. An encore of "Danny Boy” (arranged Kreisler) sealed the flavour of quaintness. This is not to suggest that the three Instrumentalists were in the amateur echelon of musical practitioners. Far from it, for throughout the recital they remained in firm control of their material, sustaining an admirable level of professional competence. The non-Bonetti of the trio, the pianist Rachel Valier, in particular impressed with her agile technique and commendablv tidy articulation. Even in the reverberant accoustics of the venue she was able, on most occasions, to float a clear *ltntonf Bonetti (father&rew a steady

tone from his violin. If at times his articulation seemed a trifle mechanical, matters were righted by the wide range of dynamics available from his athletic bowing arm. When Marc Bonetti (son) loosened the stays of his emotional corsets, he produced a cello tone that was rich in quality and expression. Individual phrases were dispatched with striking passion, but often he would lapse Into long periods of matter-of-fact delivery. Of the three items on the programme, the Bonetti Trio’s performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D Minor appealed the most. Though the opening Molto allegro ad agitato began a touch tentatively, the fault mainly of the strings, the work was marshalled towards a confident and lively rendition of the scherzo and finale. In these, the trio struck an admirable blend. Rhythms were tight and phrases well crafted. A powerful emotional force was unleashed in the closing Allegro assai apassionato. Smetena’s Piano Trio in G Minor was also given a well rounded performance. As in Haydn’s Trio No. 27 in C it was the piano line that provided the expressive muscle, but some soulful contributions were made, especiaUy in the opening Moderate assai, by tjs strings.