The Trillium Ensemble consists of Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians Baird Dodge (left) on violin and Karen Basrak on cello with Daniel Schlosberg (center) on piano.
Dodge, Basrak: Todd Rosenberg; Schlosberg: Travis Roozée
Though Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor is a landmark of the chamber music repertoire, pianist Daniel Schlosberg wasn’t sure if he would ever get an opportunity to play it.
But he will get his chance on Oct. 20 when the Trillium Ensemble performs an evening of piano trios at Symphony Center as part of the CSO Chamber Music series. Schlosberg, a regular collaborator with CSO musicians, will be matched with CSO violinist Baird Dodge and cellist Karen Basrak.
“The Tchaikovsky is a piece that I’ve admired from afar, but I never envisioned playing it, because it’s epic in every way,” Schlosberg said recently by phone. “It’s about 50 minutes long, it has emotional depth, it has wide-ranging colors. It’s really a go-for-broke piece, and I’m excited about the notion of bringing it to life.”
The Trillium Ensemble (named for a flower, a member of the lily family, with three petals) played on the CSO Chamber series a few years ago; although it does not perform in other settings, Dodge proposed to put the band back together this season, and his idea was accepted.
“When Baird suggested it, I jumped at the chance,” Schlosberg said. The two have played together on a variety of projects over the years, and “every so often when the schedules line up, I’m happy to collaborate again. Baird is very open-minded about repertoire, and he brings an infectious enthusiasm to the rehearsal process.”
The first half of the program features trios by Haydn and Schubert, which Schlosberg said will provide a good balance to the intensity of the Tchaikovsky. He did not know the Haydn Trio No. 22 in A Major before the program was set, but “Haydn always has some kind of special spice in the harmony or the form, and there certainly is here,“ he said. ”It’s been fun exploring it.” Schubert’s Adagio in E-Flat Major (Notturno) is a stand-alone slow movement, which Schlosberg describes as “intense, quiet, lyrical, with a quality that’s totally Schubert. No one else could have written it.”
Schlosberg has been practicing the Tchaikovsky for several months, working not only on the technical demands, but also the architecture of the piece. Its two long movements are in a sonata form and a theme and variations “with the kitchen sink thrown in,” he said. “It works up to excited and jubilant, and then it plunges you to the depths of despair. It presages the ending to the [composer’s] Pathetique symphony 10 years later.”
When he gets together to rehearse with Dodge and Basrak, “it’s always an adjustment for everyone in terms of tempo and flow,” he said. “We have a free exchange of ideas. That’s normal, especially in a piece this big.”
Schlosberg and Dodge both have a special place in their heart for contemporary music, but “we’re all omnivorous,” Schlosberg said. Their upcoming concert of music from the 1700s and 1800s “helps us see the conversation between centuries. Everything enhances everything else.”
For the concerts on the CSO’s chamber music series, the audience is seated on the stage and in the chorus’ terrace above. “It’s intimate, and the audience can see you,” Schlosberg said, “but you also have the acoustics of Orchestra Hall and the gorgeous backdrop. It’s the best of both worlds.”
