Van Baerle Trio
'Few piano trios possess such a homogeneous character, extending from impulse to sound,' de Volkskrant once wrote about the Van Baerle Trio. Pianist Hannes Minnaar, violinist Maria Milstein, and cellist Gideon den Herder met in 2004 while studying at the Amsterdam Conservatory. The rest is history; the trio belongs to the absolute top of piano trios. For the trio named after Van Baerlestraat, the Concertgebouw feels like their musical home, and tonight the trio demonstrates what that sounds like.
MacMillan and Brahms
In Brahms' monumental First Piano Trio, broad, lyrical themes can be heard, while compositional control remains unwavering from beginning to end. Between Brahms and Schumann, these two Romantic heavyweights, James MacMillan winks at the audience: music does not always have to be tonal or emotional. His fourteen playful and mysterious miniatures are whimsical character portraits of a minute or less.