Music Reviews

Jul 25, 2005 - The Ahn Trio is a study on how to succeed in chamber music by trying a gimmick

By Jack Neal

"Ya gotta have a gimmick!" The Ahn Trio, it seems, has taken Stephen Sondheim's lyric for his lovable hookers in "Gypsy" to heart.

Pianist Lucia, violinist Angella, 'cellist Maria, the three Ahn sisters who comprise what is probably the world's best known chamber music trio for the fan in the street, have achieved considerable success - and even more celebrity - in the chamber music business. And, as most music buffs know, the chamber music business is not known for its rock-star glamor.

That is until now.

The ladies Ahn know glamor (they looked gorgeous) and show business and how to make chamber music pay. These three supremely talented young women, born in Korea and tutored in the art of music at New York's prestigious Julliard School, appeared Sunday (7/24/05) at the Hawkins Amphitheatre as part of Reno's Artown 2005 Festival.

The primary Ahn gimmick has been achieved by largely dropping (completely dropping, if Sunday's concert is typical of an Ahn program) anything resembling the traditional chamber music repertory composed for piano, violin and 'cello. Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert, et al, wherefore art thou?

Well, - gone!

In its place these attractive young women, who do play spectacularly, lean on their youth, lots of lighthearted girl talk with demure giggles by Angella the voice of Ahn. But what will the charms of the Ahns be, when they're 40? Or 50? As one mature Katherine-Hepburn-type teacher once said, when confronted by a comely first year lady teacher thrilled over the attentions of teenage boys, "Sex is so wonderful. When you get to be my age you really have to know how to teach!"

The nearly two hour program was stacked with such interesting-to-hear pieces as "Mr. Twitty's Chair," and "Swing Shift: Music for Evening Hours." Interesting to hear, but not memorable. If this Ahn presentation, a shrewdly designed avant-garde evening of music, was intended to capture the imagination of a new audience, it succeeded. The large audience gave the trio several standing ovations, based mostly one presumes on reputation rather than an evening of music that genuinely thrilled.

Three-time Academy Award winner Maurice Jarre, now 81, wrote a suite for the trio from which they played one movement, "Winter." Kenji Bunch wrote the aforementioned "Swing Shift" in three movements - "Club Crawl," "Magic Hour," "Grooveboxes" - especially for the trio and all were played splendidly as was everything. Clearly the Ahn Trio prefers its music as effect, invention and power. The evening's repertory promoted all three preferences - often in the extreme.

What the evening did not promote were thrills, superbly turned phrases from truly great music, and the majesty of splendid musical architecture re-created by performance masters.

Bravi for promoting well-above-average contemporary music loaded with the kind of performance dazzle for which the Ahn excels. Bravi also for making chamber music a popular attraction (although the notions behind chamber music are small ensemble, small space, small crowd).

It's my guess that when the bloom of youth wears thin and the patina of maturity sets in, the Ahn Trio will still champion contemporary music (as well it should) but will no longer sell Beethoven, Brahms and Bartok (et al) short. Ahn fans would adore hearing fresh interpretations of divine music from three women whose talent doesn't need the crutch of gimmick marketing.