Concert Reviews

The Series 5&6 – Wigmore Hall&Turner Sims, Southampton – November 2006

“The musicians had the measure of the volatility of Krása’s music, and found a way to maintain individual identities within an overall approach, combining faultless balance with an absolute unanimity of expressive gesture. This was particularly an advantage during the big work on the programme, an arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg variations, originally written for keyboard, by the Russian violinist and conductor Dimitry Sitkovetsky. Arrangements are still frowned on these days, but Sitkovetsky’s skill in reapportioning lines and recreating textures is remarkable, and the sheer variety of the Leopolds’ attack in the 30 variations was outstanding. So, too, was the scrupulousness of their presentation of Schubert’s B flat trio, which, if not a masterpiece, contains some charming material. Moreover, it was delivered with a sense of relish that made the most of its attractions.”
George Hall, The Guardian, 15 November 2006

“To close the second (programme) the players chose Dimitry Sitkovetsky’s miracle of an arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations… it was a virtuosity coupled to a sensitive restraint with vibrato and a winning rhythmic keenness – in short, a thrilling performance that set the masterpiece in a new light.”
Matthew Rye, The Daily Telegraph, 15 November 2006

The Series 3&4 – Wigmore Hall&Turner Sims, Southampton – February&March 2006

“For technical finish and musical insight, the Leopold String Trio have, by now, established themselves among those select few ensembles who can command a full house playing almost anything… these players went on to surpass themselves in Beethoven's String Trio in G. Here, the subtly inflected vivacity of Marianne Thorsen's violin, the husky humour and warmth of Lawrence Power's viola, and the dramatic definition of Kate Gould's cello, their perfection of intonation and ensemble, and a continuing sense of unexpectedness in a score they must, by now, have played a hundred times, were a joy.”
Bayan Northcott, The Independent, 17 March 2006

“Arensky used a folk song in the finale of his A minor Quartet, pitting it against, if not exactly reconciling it with, a Russian Orthodox funeral chant that he incorporated as a memorial tribute to Tchaikovsky. The extra cello adds depth to the sonority, but, as the Leopolds showed in wonderfully lithe and subtly inflected playing, the variations of the middle movement, based on a Tchaikovsky song, possess a bristling imagination and sensitive craftsmanship. Craftsmanship is also the noun most often uttered in connection with Taneyev. But in the E flat Trio the Leopolds elucidated not just his tough thematic arguments, his resolution of structural conundrums and the technical prowess in his interweaving of instrumental parts, but also the lyrical yearning and shafts of humour in a composer who is only now being fully appreciated as a key figure in Russian Romanticism.”
Geoffrey Norris, The Daily Telegraph, 16 March 2006

The Series 1&2 – Wigmore Hall&Turner Sims, Southampton – November 2005

“Likewise, the Leopold String Trio called in Pascal Rogé for Fauré’s C minor Piano Quartet, an emphatic conclusion to a revelatory programme showing the ensemble’s versatility and finesse. This was the opening gambit of a three-season series, and fielded two rare string trios by Sibelius, one a student piece with pre-echoes of his mature vocabulary, the other an intense slow movement that capitalises on the unexpectedly ample sound that three string instruments can summon. Here, as in the subtly shifting, exotic atmospheres of Judith Bingham’s Fifty Shades of Green, the Leopold projected those qualities of textual clarity, dynamism and intricate colouring that fuel its compelling interpretative personality.”
Geoffrey Norris, The Daily Telegraph, 29 November 2005

Edinburgh Festival, Queen’s Hall, August 2004

“The sound appeared to grow outwards from the centre of the ensemble, particularly with violist Lawrence Power creating an impressively rich, well-rounded sound that easily carried not so much over as through the scoring in solo moments. Both the Brahms quintets are certainly lushly romantic, but with this group of musicians never turgidly so – their playing was a breath of fresh air, bringing to the fore the vibrant brilliance and energy of the music. The contrast of pairing each Brahms quintet with a trio by Webern was predictably effective, but the real revelation was the way in which the Leopold Trio performed these works. The sparse, fragmented musical language…can seem austere and rather earnest, even icily rigorous but playing with the multi-faceted colours and textures of the music, the Leopold Trio showed these works in another light: delicate, mercurial and dancing – every bit as captivating as the Brahms.”
Rowena Smith, The Herald, 25 August 2004

“Last year, I suggested that the Leopold Trio offer some of their more experimental fare. This year, they did, and oh, how good it was. Like refreshing sorbets inside the framing classical-romanticism of Brahms came two pieces by Anton Webern…In the hands of the Leopold, it was exhilarating…They are a spirited group, weaving the music like a piece of tapestry, relishing the array of textures they pluck and bow as they pass themes one to another. These are challenging pieces and the timing was perfect, allowing the music to breathe beautifully. The Leopolds shining with musical intelligence, brought out the deeper feelings informing the Adagio [Brahms’s String Quintete No. 2 Op. 111] and then gave us an exuberant finale.”
Jan Fairley, The Scotsman, 25 August 2004

Wigmore Hall performances 2003/2004

“The string trio is a combination given to intimacy, of which there was plenty. But when the Leopold let rip, it was mightier than many a larger group. This was playing of grand gestures, youthful gaiety, wit and a sense of theatricality bordering on the operatic. But strangely, for all that one half expected trombones to join in, these remained quintessentially chamber music performances, full of internal dialogue…The virtuoso Leopolds made light of Schoenberg’s horribly difficult work, bringing to it eloquence, occasional violence, and mystery. The Schubert (D581) was a joy. This is music that really should be heard more often, and who better to play it? The players found in it naivety, Classical elegance (of course), but also in places a teasing, questioning quality. They played as an organic whole: there was no simple separation of melody and accompaniment here, but a communal shaping, eloquent and sublime”
The Strad, March 2004

“Their Schoenberg…was a master-performance: all the outré string-effects confidently in place, but also a lucid, communicative grasp of what the music is about, how its linked sections should go and how its ‘twelve-note’ harmonies should sound. Many in the predominantly elderly audience who came for the Mozart were probably astonished to find that this late trio, much freer and less ‘academic’ than Schoenberg’s earlier, doctrinaire 12-note pieces, is proper music from start to finish.”
The Financial Times, January 2004

“Because of its extreme technical demands Schoenberg’s String Trio has tended to be performed, when at all, by ensembles specialising in hard-edged avant-garderie. So one was particularly interested to hear what the Leopold String Trio, so warmly identified with their classical repertoire, would make of it. Nor did they disappoint…The result was by far the most meaningfully nuanced, cohesive and sheerly musical live performance this pair of ears has ever heard of it, with its mesmeric final fadeout stilling even the most disaffected listeners in a packed Wigmore Hall.
The Independent, January 2004

The performance by Marianne Thorsen, Lawrence Power and Kate Gould gave the concert’s best demonstration of the Leopold players’ incredible finesse and musicality. Were there only three musicians? The Leopolds’ multiple bowing effects, fancy bridge work and plucked delicacies suggested about ten, colouring the notes with a beauty and subtlety managed by all too few Schoenberg performances. The suavity of their tone and shading underlined Schoenberg’s roots in old Vienna whenever the notes briefly echoed the three-in-a-bar waltz…the players expertly caught this work’s poignant feeling of unfinished business. With so many repertory bonbons available to chew, you have to applaud the Leopolds’ commitment to great but unpopular music. Perfect ensemble work, and so euphonious
The Times, December 2003

New Zealand&Australia Tour with Paul Lewis April/May 2003

“Lewis and the trio played in a sumptuous style, producing a full and rich sound. In Beethoven’s String Trio No. 3 the poise and focus of the Leopold String Trio produced a marvellous performance in all four movements. There was some wonderfully tender playing in the second movement adagio, and great energy and momentum to the fourth movement presto.”
Australian, May 2003

Edinburgh Festival, Usher Hall Recital 2002

“The Leopold String trio gave itself a head start on Tuesday with Mozart’s E flat Divertimento K563. The young Leopold players caught the nocturnal atmosphere beautifully, playing sensitively to the hall’s spacious acoustic. Breathy pianissimos wafted through the air, but never without focus and character. The full scope of the ensemble’s expressive vocabulary came flooding out in the testing fourth movement variations…at its height this was a glowing display of Mozart at his most intimate and inspired.”
The Scotsman, August 2002

Wigmore Hall, January 2002

“The buzz surrounding the youthful Leopold String Trio, on the evidence of their Saturday concert, requires no explanation. Already internationally established, this group shines out for the brilliance of its playing and its inventive programmes, not easy with a line-up of violin, viola and cello,
The Observer, January 2002