★★★★★ Thoughtfully conceived programme exquisitely performed.

Melbourne Recital Centre, Salon
November 24, 2015

Melbourne’s Sutherland Trio is named for distinguished Australian composer and all-round musical trailblazer Margaret Sutherland, and pays tribute to her legacy in several significant ways. Over half of Sutherland’s compositions were chamber works, reflecting her long-standing commitment to writing for small ensembles; she also championed emerging composers whose works explored new techniques and forms, and Sutherland exemplified high-calibre musicianship of international standing. Since forming in 2010, the Sutherland Trio has maintained a busy concert schedule, performing regularly at the Melbourne Recital Centre and the Iwaki Auditorium.

Tonight’s performance of Charles Ives’ Piano Trio was instigated by cellist Molly Kadarauch (Californian, now resident in Melbourne and a former member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra). Her colleagues were initially unconvinced, as she explained in her introduction to this work, but thankfully this was short-lived. Completed a century ago, the Trio is replete with highly original experimental techniques now accepted as standard, including polyrhythms and polytonalities. Fascinatingly, Ives’ father George was a bandmaster during the American Civil War, and taught his musically-inclined son important skills that included playing the piano in one key while singing in another. Although much of...