San Francisco Piano Trio – July 31, 2016
San Francisco Piano Trio
Axel Strauss, violin; Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello; Jeffrey Sykes, piano
Franz Haydn Piano Trio in G major, Hob. XV:25, ‘Gypsy Rondo’
Franz Schubert Piano Trio in B-flat major, D. 898
Maurice Ravel Piano Trio
The San Francisco Piano Trio, featuring German violinist Axel Strauss, French cellist Jean-Michel Fonteneau, and American pianist Jeffrey Sykes, has quickly established itself as a top-flight ensemble. The trio has been praised for its virtuosic ensemble playing throughout a wide repertoire ranging from the trios of Haydn and Beethoven to those of Leon Kirchner and Astor Piazzolla. Recently featured in concerts in California and Wisconsin, the Well-Tempered Ear noted that the trio “brought a closely attentive and particularly quiet audience to its feet for a prolonged standing ovation … That they played with terrific virtuosity and technical fluency was easy to perceive throughout the demanding program. But the careful listener, the discerning ear, was more impressed … by their unerring musicianship; and by their ability to blend, to dialogue with each other.” sfpianotrio.com