Masters at work

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Avondale Trio

Evensong
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church, August 13, 2011

Dell Lawrence
Assistant editor, Fine Arts Series
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

The sensitivity of Avondale Trio is impressive—it is as if an invisible thread ties Christina An (piano), Gavin Clark (cello) and Dr Sohyun Eastham (violin), all of who are soloists in their own right, together. An awareness of dynamics, moods and phrases gave this performance a coherency and consistency. Rarely did one instrument overpower another.

A highlight? The difference in the dynamics. The trio produced gentle, steady and loud, forceful sounds. Body language mirrored the changing intensity.

Here were masters at work. An example? In the first movement of Bach’s Double Concerto, Gavin nimbly executed the semi-quaver runs, shifting between positions with little difficulty—his part was written originally for the violin.

I found Sohyun’s performance of John William’s “Theme from Schindler’s List” particularly moving. Her high, floated notes brought to mind the struggles of the Jews during the Holocaust.

My only criticism? The number of items performed—I wanted more.

When not teaching at The University of Newcastle, Sohyun directs the Avondale Chamber Orchestra. Gavin, a graduate of The Conservatorium at Newcastle, is the principal cellist for the orchestra. Christina, a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, is a casual academic lecturer at Avondale.