Above, tonight's artists: Anne-Sophie Mutter by Kristian Schuller/DG; Yefim Bronfman by Dario Acosta; Pablo Ferrández by Kristian Schuller
~ Author: Mark Anthony Martinez II
Tuesday May 5th, 2025 - Usually, when you go see a concert, there’s one star performer who is plastered on all the posters and marketing material to bring as many people into the house as possible. The concert on May 6th at Carnegie Hall happened to be an exception—everyone on stage could have individually filled a concert hall by themselves.
When I first got the tickets, I assumed it would be in the smaller hall because it was a chamber music concert: Beethoven’s ever-classic Archduke Piano Trio and Tchaikovsky’s singular, haunting Piano Trio in A minor. But when you have performers like the legendary Anne-Sophie Mutter on violin, Pablo Ferrández on cello, and Yefim Bronfman on the titular piano, you know the small hall wouldn’t have been enough.
I walked into the hall a bit early, when the seats were still mostly empty, but it soon became a completely packed house. There was excitement in the air with people wanting to hear how these amazing musicians would play—and, more importantly, play together in such intimate chamber music.
It was ten minutes past the start time and the musicians still hadn’t arrived on stage. There was a bit of nervous energy, but when they finally appeared, the applause was rapturous even before they sat down.
Mutter wore a beautiful white spring dress splattered with blue, yellow, and pink flowers (very reminiscent of Jackson Pollock), while the other soloists were in more traditional concert black. They came center stage, then sat down and began to play.
The three performers opened with the Beethoven trio, and the first thing that struck me was how full the sound from both Mutter and Ferrández was. I expected, since the hall was so large and there was just a single instrument per part, that it wouldn’t be as sonorous. I later asked my concert-going partner (who is an accomplished cellist himself), and he told me their full sound was a combination of perfect technique and playing on some of the best instruments in the world. Ferrández’s cello even had a shout out in the program as the 1689 “Archinto” Stradivarius.
Beethoven’s Archduke Trio in B-flat Major was his last piano trio and showcased the full might of his compositional technique. The piece reminded me of the bombastic majesty of his Fifth Piano Concerto (which, incidentally, was composed in the same year—1811). It had the rich, regal sound of the Classical era, tinged with Romanticism.
It was fascinating to see each performer’s individual style during the piece. Ferrández often looked over to check in with Mutter to ensure they were playing together. Mutter was more focused on the music but always returned Ferrández’s gaze. Bronfman was more locked into his score, not glancing at the others—however, they always stayed completely in sync. The musicians truly embodied the ethos of chamber music, and any concern about three famous soloists steamrolling each other was completely assuaged.
The rest of the first movement was played beautifully, with Ferrández, in particular, really diving into the music. You could see he was a soloist at heart as he swayed with the music. Mutter’s technical brilliance, meanwhile, could not be lauded enough. She played even the most difficult passages with ease, and her violin truly sang. There was no harshness that can sometimes accompany solo violin playing—only a beautiful, lyrical tone.
My favorite moment from the first movement was the pizzicato section, where the music broke from what you’d expect in a Classical-era piece. It then flowed seamlessly back into the earlier feel of the movement.
At many times, the piece felt like a duet between Mutter and Ferrández. She had played with him on one of his album recordings, and they clearly had wonderful chemistry together.
The performers finished the first movement and moved into the second, which had a more playful, cheeky air. The third movement was a fun variation form, and the final movement was a lush Beethoven finale. One funny note: the pianist finally checked in with the other performers during the closing chords to ensure they all landed them together. When the piece finally ended, the audience erupted into well-deserved applause. The soloists bowed and then left the stage for intermission.
The hall was busy during intermission, and many people were buzzing about the soloists.
One man said this about Ferrández in a conversation right in front of me. Ferrández was clearly the youngest of the trio, and reading his bio, he seems to have a long and rising career ahead.
After intermission, the trio returned and dove right into the Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers, so I was really looking forward to this piece, which I hadn’t heard before. The haunting melody rang out, and it was such a quintessentially beautiful Tchaikovsky composition.
One of my favorite moments of the entire concert came in the first movement, when Mutter and Ferrández exchanged a very sweet smile as they played together. It was heartwarming to see such a musical relationship—a legendary performer clearly filling a mentor role to a rising concert star.
The program notes mentioned that Tchaikovsky wasn’t a huge fan of this composition, feeling that the unique voices of the instruments didn’t blend well and fearing it would sound too symphonic. Funnily enough, I agreed. The piece was beautiful, but it did sound more like a symphonic reduction than a true trio. Regardless, it was stunning music.
After the final movement of the Tchaikovsky, the audience gave a well-deserved round of applause and a standing ovation. The three performers stood up, visibly happy with their performance. It was genuinely endearing to see them standing together—almost like an adorable musical family.
After the trio left the stage, the applause continued—and to my surprise, they played an encore! Once the main melody began, I immediately recognized it: the Schindler’s List theme by John Williams. It was such beautiful music, with each musician taking a solo. The piece ended with a high violin note that truly showcased Mutter’s brilliance as it rang out and brought the concert to a close.
~ Mark Anthony Martinez II