Romantic trio making its Seoul debut

A critically acclaimed French trio whose repertoire centers on the German Romantic composers will perform in Seoul on Wednesday.
Paying homage to Schubert ― and, in a broader sense, to German Romanticism ―the members of Trio Wanderer took their ensemble’s name from that composer’s “A Wanderer’s Fantasy.”
Formed in 1987, the trio consists of Vincent Coq (piano), Jean-Marc Philips-Varjabedian (violin) and Raphael Pidoux (cello). In 1988, the three won the first prize for chamber music at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris.
Since then, they’ve won top honors at competitions like the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 1988 and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 1990. The trio was also awarded a Victoire de la Musique in 1997, and another Victoire in 2000 for Best Chamber Music Ensemble of the year.
They’ve performed at the Philharmonie in Berlin, Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, Kioi Hall in Tokyo, La Scala in Milan and the Library of Congress in Washington. In August 2002 the trio debuted at the Salzburg Summer Festival, to which they will be returning in 2006.
Other prestigious festivals where they’ve played include the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany, the Stresa International Music Festival in Italy and the International Piano Festival of la Roque d’Antheron in France.
The Strad magazine described the trio’s recital at the Wigmore Hall as “awe-inspiring.” “What so impresses about this group is its command of the emotional panorama of the music,” the magazine said.
“Trio Wanderer have been able to shine thanks to their homogeneous, original sound, ‘physical’ style and free interpretation of their repertoire,” Le Monde wrote.
They have collaborated with master musicians like Yehudi Menuhin, Christopher Hogwood and Charles Dutoit, and performed with well-known orchestras such as Orchestre National de France and Berlin’s Radio Symphonie Orchester.
The trio will play Beethoven’s 10 Variations in G Major, Op. 121A, known as the “Kakadu Variations”; Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. B; and Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won ($28) to 60,000 won. For ticket information, call 1588-7890 or go to www.lgart.com.

by Limb Jae-un