Perhaps more than any other kind of chamber ensemble, the piano trio possesses the flexibility and the depth to realise the most complex and involving compositions. Comprising Somi Kim (piano), Amalia Hall (violin) and Ashley Brown (cello), the NZTrio’s thoughtful program showcased three diverse works that demonstrated the immense musical and emotional capacity of the form.

The trio opened with US composer Jennifer Higdon’s (b 1962) Piano Trio of 2003. The first movement of this two-movement work, entitled Pale Yellow, is a delightfully reflective andante that opens with a somewhat mournful statement in the piano followed by passages for the strings that develops into a complex interplay between the three instrumental voices. The second movement, Fiery Red, is a hot, vibrant, motoric agitato.

In her program note, Higdon asks whether music can reflect colours and whether colours can be reflected in music or convey a mood, and, though she doesn’t mention synaesthesia as such, she speaks of her fascination with the connection between painting and music. She states, “In my composing, I often picture colors as if I were spreading them on a canvas, except I do so with melodies, harmonies and through the instruments themselves.”

The enchanting writing for each instrument...