Passionate Amadeus Trio to perform at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts | Press Releases

Hailed by critics as passionate, eloquent and soulful, the Amadeus Trio brings a program of Russian composers, including Stravinsky's "A Soldier's Tale," to Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 6, at 8 p.m. Laura Nash, Ph.D., director of Fairfield University's Classical Music Department, will lead a pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 to 7:40 p.m.

The Amadeus Trio is celebrating 14 seasons as one of the most dynamic piano trios performing in the world today. Recognized for their virtuosity and brilliant musicianship, the three artists - pianist Marian Hahn, violinist Timothy Baker, and cellist Jeffrey Solow - all enjoy award-winning solo careers in addition to their critically acclaimed collaborations.

The Trio has appeared regularly at major cultural venues in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Miami and Salt Lake City. The ensemble is also a frequent guest at summer chamber festivals throughout the United States.

The Trio enjoyed its Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall in the spring of 1992, a performance that elicited applause and shouts between movements, something rarely heard in a New York debut. As a result of that memorable performance, the Trio was invited to perform at some of the country's leading venues, including San Francisco's Herbst Theatre, Los Angeles' Ambassador Auditorium and New York's Carnegie Hall.

It has been winning raves ever since.

The Toronto Star dubbed them "a powerhouse American chamber group," while The Los Angeles Times proclaimed them "a world class ensemble. Yes, world class."

"The wizardry of the Amadeus members conjured images of darting fireflies and Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,'" wrote a reviewer for the Sarasota Tribune. "Each Amadeus member is demonstrably of soloist caliber."

The Quick Center performance, part of the ongoing Russian Arts and Letters Festival, will feature Arensky's "Trio in D minor, Op. 32," Tchaikovsky's "Trio in A minor, Op. 50," and Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat," which the composer penned during World War I in Switzerland. The story is loosely based on Russian folk tales and tells the story of a soldier coming home from war who makes an unfortunate deal with the devil along the way. Actor James Noble will be featured in the performance.

The Arensky work exemplifies the composer's unique blend of the world of his nationalistic Russian teacher, Rimsky-Korsakoff, and the cosmopolitan ideals of his idol, Tchaikovsky. Dedicated to the memory of the great Russian cellist and teacher Karl Davidoff, the Trio is one of his best-known compositions.

The program concludes with the Tchaikovsky trio, a highly personal piece known for its virtuosic piano solos.

The Amadeus Trio has been part of Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series and the Kennedy Center's Kreeger Series, as well as other program series in Vancouver, Cleveland, Birmingham and St. Louis. During the 2003 summer season, the Trio gave the world premiere of a piece written for them in collaboration with Grammy-winning American Indian flute virtuoso R. Carlos Nakai, in celebration of the Sedona Chamber Music Festival's 20th anniversary.

Radio listeners have heard the Amadeus Trio on National Public Radio's Performance Today program and the Trio has appeared live on established classical music stations, including WQXR in New York, WGMS in Washington, D.C. and WGBH in Boston.

The Trio has recorded CDs of Dvorak and Smetana and is working on other recordings.

Tickets are $24 to $30. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit the website, www.quickcenter.com.