As the founder of a musical troupe named Selby & Friends, pianist Kathryn Selby made good on her promises in last night’s season-ending performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Accompanied by Dimity Hall on violin and Julian Smiles on cello, the impression one got, sat in the shoulder-to-shoulder seating of the Primrose Potter Salon, was of the convivial living-room performances entertained by close friends.
The intimate setting, heightened by the exquisite acoustics, made for a performance that felt as much for the benefit of the audience as for the enjoyment of those performing. Each piece within their lively programme of works – all from European composers, representing a travelogue of musical identities – received a brief, compelling introduction from the trio.
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The context provided of each piece’s origins, and how excitedly they communicated with one another, served to inspire a fantastic sense of care and anticipation among the audience.
It was, wonderfully, the tempo of friends sharing between one another a passionate interest in their unifying artform.
This outspoken enthusiasm also translated to height of skill and quality of craft. Opening with what Smiles described as Joaquín Turin’s lemon-scented and “very, very Spanish” Piano Trio in B Minor, the three performers erupted in a coiled spring of force and volume, hurtling off the walls of the salon.
Selby drew from the hulking Steinway immense, breathy crests of colour and volume, upon which rode the romantic, thrumming lines of cello and violin interplayed with one another.
The exuberant, quivering energy of the strings enjoyed a broader range of motion within Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Trio in D Minor. This was especially evident in the work’s closing movement, a swift flurry of sharp wrist motions and furious bow strums.
Selby provided outstanding dynamic integrity throughout, establishing from the opening bars of the first movement an incredible range of colour and motion. The billowing, twirling upthrows of Selby’s hands built hopeful, gentle beams of sound that received supportive fibres in the tense, tight swaying of cello and violin.
Such was the closing performance of Selby & Friends’ 2024 season: intimate and romantic, as much as ecstatic and playful. A thrilling, vibrant showcase from performers equally skilled within their craft as eager to inspire.
Find out more about the trio here.
