Although the Broward Center's classical series has been reduced to just three concerts in the 2016 season, a large audience packed the Amaturo Theater on Monday night for a stellar performance by The Zukerman Trio. Opening the series in prime form, the chamber combination of violinist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Amanda Forsyth (Mrs. Zukerman) and pianist Angela Cheng offered world class readings of masterworks by Dvorák and Beethoven.
Dvorák's Piano Trio No. 4 (Dumky) is replete with Czech folk melodies, giving each of the three instrumentalists a chance to shine individually as well as part of the chamber trio. Forsyth launched the score with a long cello solo, her sonority large and richly colored. Zukerman, world renowned as a soloist and conductor in his own right, added a touch of gypsy paprika in the rapid violin passages. Cheng's light, sensitive touch at the keyboard shone splendidly in both solo and supporting roles. In the second Lento movement, Forsyth played the yearning Czech melody as one long arc, never allowing the thematic material to become choppy or exaggerated. Zukerman avoided the temptation to go into overdrive, delivering the subtle violin lines with classical elegance. A simple motif turns into a wild folk dance in the concluding Vivace. Here the players gave their all, anchored by Cheng's nuanced pianism, the rhythms infused with panache.
Beethoven's Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97 (Archduke) is one of the greatest scores in the chamber music repertoire and the Zukerman threesome were at the pinnacle of interpretive art, offering a performance that met the music on its own terms. The noble melody of the opening Allegro moderato had plenty of forward thrust, the blend of instrumental timbres mellifluous. Forsyth's aristocratic shaping of melodic lines and Cheng's wonderfully varied dynamics contributed abundantly to the trio's seasoned teamwork. Still, for all the glowing tonal hues and melodic felicities on display, the players maintained an undercurrent of tension throughout the movement.
The Scherzo abounded in rhythmic lightness, almost dance like. Zukerman's molten rich tone and Cheng's speed and dexterity were on full display; yet the darker undertones of the movement's ending had requisite impact. Perhaps one of Beethoven's most sublime melodies, the theme and variations of the Andante cantabile was assayed with broad spaciousness and warmth of sound. Zukerman's finely chiseled phrasing and Cheng's deftness bringing vitality to the inventive thematic permutations. There was plenty of Viennese zest in the final Allegro moderato. Beethoven's minor key modulations were firmly conveyed. The players brought charm and élan to the vivacious final pages.
A standing, cheering ovation and repeated curtain calls brought a delightful encore - an arrangement of Fritz Kreisler's Miniature Viennese March. Turning on a dime from the exalted strains of Beethoven, Zukerman, Forsyth and Cheng injected plenty of schmaltz into this bon-bon, the Viennese sentimentality perfectly articulated.
The Broward Center Classical Series continues 8 p.m. February 25 with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky playing Tchaikovsky's Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Farhad Badalbeyli. www.browarcenter.org 954-462-0222
