Article | Rémy Franck | 5 croches sur Pizzicato.lu
With Chic à la Française, pianist Pierre-Kaloyann Atanassov, violinist Perceval Gilles and cellist Sarah Sultan play a whole French programme taking this chic quite far. It begins with the still romantic Debussy trio, an early work. The overall very passionate Ravel Trio shows Hispanic influences, but has also darker sides due to the outbreak of World War I. In-between the Atanassovs play Hersant’s highly expressive and dramatic Trio sur la Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont de Marin Marais, which, despite its passion, is by no means a dark, but rather a humorous piece, performed with a lot of esprit.
In all three works the three musicians find the right tone and the right weight, with a large dynamic range that also cares for the quiet and intimate. Their playing is well balanced, the interplay perfect, so that we can hear gripping performances full of inner tension.
An interesting, contrasting programme in 1A performances, in which the chic neither becomes fashionable nor provocative, but remains honest and stylish in the service of the works. Chic with a lot of gusto!
