Benedetti Elschenbroich Grynyuk Trio, St John's Smith Square

Since winning BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2004, Nicola Benedetti has become one of Britain’s most popular and feted violinists, with an especial interest in the musical traditions of her native Scotland. Unfailingly modest and delighted by her repertoire, she matches her undeniable talent with an admirable warmth.
For her early 2016 appearance at St John’s Smith Square, Benedetti will perform with her trio, which includes the cellist Leonard Elschenbroich (who is also Benedetti’s partner) and pianist Alexei Grynuk. Young stars all, the three will present two masterpieces by Schubert and Tchaikovsky.
The former’s Piano Trio No. 1 (1828), completed at the end of his life, has the proportions of a symphony, with four movements that take around forty minutes to play. Across this sprawl, we hear the sainted composer’s full melodic invention, with sections of sublime lightness, stormy turbulence and engrossing portent.
Tchaikovsky’s sole Piano Trio (1881-2), dedicated to his deceased mentor Nikolai Rubinstein, is equally voluminous but has an altogether more tragic progression. Its first movement is grave yet beguiling, pulling you into a world of mourning; the second, after beginning with a sweet piano tune worthy of Mozart, builds into a wildly ebullient outburst before returning to the first movement’s funeral march.