Trio Desto consists of violinist Rebecca Racusin, cellist Jessica Sammis, and pianist Berenika, who executed the thunderous clouds of piano notes in Trio No. 1's first movement while locking in closely with the string parts. The trio executed the ocean waves of the lyrical but dramatic second movement with graceful sensitivity, went on to make the Scherzo's fast passages look easy, and offered a stately yet emotional realization of the Finale.
The first movement (Allegro) of Trio No. 2 begins with one of these works' many displays of Mendelssohn's fondness for octave-apart violin-and-cello unison passages, executed here with feeling and precision. The movement encompasses a variety of riches: celestial sixteenth-note passages on the piano, a march-like section descending into an interregnum with a largo feel, a rise to a thunderous close. The Andante second movement displayed Ms. Sammis's beautiful tone in the cello's lower register, and the Finale lived up to its "Allegro appassionato" notation, showcasing amid its insistent rhythms the trio's precise timing and the musicians' evident feel for one another's playing, a kind of sensitivity so pleasing to see in young players. Though these artists are all young and (to me) unknown, they played like they'd been collaborating for many years, leaving me with a refreshed admiration for these wonderful works.
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