Lyrica Chamber Music performs piano trios

Clara Schumann the composer has for many years languished in the shade of Clara Schumann the devoted and supportive wife of Robert Schumann.

But over the past decade that has begun to change.Now when musicians announce they are performing a Schumann piano trio, they need to say which Schumann.

Subscribe

For Lyrica Chamber Music it will be Clara Schumann at a concert of piano trios on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 3 p.m., at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, 240 Southern Blvd.Schumann's trio will be complemented by Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in d minor.

Presenting this vibrant music will be Lyrica's co-artistic directors, pianist David Kaplan and cellist Ani Kalayjian, along with violinist Suliman Tekalli in a concert titled "Storm and Song."

Lyrica concerts are presented with the support of Morris Arts which seeks to build community through the arts.

After the concert, enjoy pastry treats from Chatham's Fleur de Sel.

Kaplan stresses how largely Clara Schuman loomed over the musical world of the mid-19th century.

"Clara Schumann has been neglected in the performance tradition, at least relative to her husband Robert, but her stature and impact during the 19th century cannot be overstated," Kaplan says."She was by far the more successful one of the Schumann marriage.

"She is one of the vanguard figures in establishing the culture of musical performance that we all take for granted today, where we celebrate composers of the past alongside those of the present.She was discouraged from composing by everyone in her life, and yet this Trio is a true masterpiece of the literature. It somehow combines quicksilver changes of mood with seamless narrative structure."

It is appropriate that Schumann's trio is paired with Mendelssohn's.The two composers moved in the same artistic milieu.

"Schumann and Mendelssohn were integral parts of the same intimate circle of pioneering creatives in mid-19th century Germany," Kaplan says. "Mendelssohn was often a guest in the Schumann's home, and he played the piano in more than one of the Schumann's chamber works, including Robert Schumann's E-flat quintet. They are distinct from each other in so many ways, but they're clearly cut from the same aesthetic cloth."

Mendelssohn's Trio in d minor displays his most mercurial qualities.

"This trio is a true tour de force," Kaplan says. "All three instrumentalists are tested and utilized to their limits, and the audience is taken on a wild, dramatic, ride; it's sensory overload for everyone in the room."

Lyrica is privileged to have Tekalli as violinist for these demanding trios.He is the current concertmaster of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and has also led as concertmaster for notable ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Classical Players, Sphinx Virtuosi, and the International Sejong Soloists.

As a prizewinner at numerous international competitions, most notably as top prizewinner at the 2015 Seoul International Music Competition, Tekalli has performed as a soloist with orchestras across North and South America, Europe, and Asia, appearing at esteemed venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Seoul Arts Center.His performances have been broadcast on NPR, CBC Radio 3 in Canada, and KBS TV in Korea.

Kaplan, along with his father, Mark Kaplan, is currently receiving acclaim for his recent recording of the Brahms violin sonatas, which has been favorably reviewed in Gramophone and BBC Music magazines.

He has been called "excellent and adventurous" by The New York Times, and praised by the Boston Globe for "grace and fire" at the keyboard.As orchestra soloist, he has appeared with the Britten Sinfonia at London's Barbican and Das Sinfonie Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie, as well the Symphony Orchestras of Hawaii and San Antonio.As recitalist, he has performed at the Ravinia Festival, Sarasota Opera House, Music on Main in Vancouver, Strathmore, Washington's National Gallery, and New York's Carnegie and Merkin Halls.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "representing the young, up-and-coming generation," and a "superb cellist with a large, expressive, singing tone, passionate musicianship, and magnificent playing" by the Journal Tribune, Armenian-American cellist Ani Kalayjian enjoys a prolific career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and educator that has taken her to Japan, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, and throughout Europe and the United States.

Lyrica's 2026-27 season resumes on Jan. 24 for what promises to be an epic performance of Gustav Mahler's Third Symphony transcribed for piano four hands.The performers will be Inna Faliks and Daniel Schlosberg.

On Jan. 31, renowned violinist Sean Lee will play all 24 of Paganini's Caprices for Solo Violin.

Winding up the season will be a concert of elegant and sensual music by French composers, performed by cellist Ani Kalayjian, pianist Drew Peterson, violinist Christina Bouey, and violist Paul Laraia.

Tickets for Lyrica concerts are $35 ($30 for seniors),and students and children are admitted free.For more information about Lyrica Chamber Music, visit www.lyricachambermusic.com or call 973-309-1668.