From Baroque to Contemporary

Combining technical refinement with spontaneous passion, the Eroica Trio captivates listeners from the first whisper to the final roar.

By: Susan Van Dongen

The Eroica Trio – from left, Adela Peña, violin, Erika Nickrenz, piano, and Sara Sant’ Ambrogio, cello – will perform at the Mount-Burke Theatre at the Peddie School in Hightstown Feb. 26.

   The phrase "knee high to a grasshopper" comes to mind when you learn about the Eroica Trio’s background — they’ve been playing together practically since pre-school days.
   Raised in a musical family, pianist Erika Nickrenz toddled up to the piano at about age 6 and Adela Peña wasn’t far behind on the violin. Both native New Yorkers, the girls were studying at the Greenwich Village House Music School and began playing sonatas and duets at age 9. Cellist Sara Sant’ Ambrogio also comes from a gifted clan, which ran the former Red Fox Music Camp in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. That’s where she met Ms. Nickrenz.
   "We started playing trios then and eventually we all ended up at Juilliard," Ms. Nickrenz says. "We also studied with the same teachers — we have similar backgrounds in that regard. But we were instant friends and we haven’t stopped. Now we all have children of our own, all boys. We expect in 15 years they’ll have a garage band called ‘Sons of Eroica.’"
   The three friends and world-class musicians will perform at the Mount-Burke Theatre at the Peddie School in Hightstown Feb. 26 in a program that ranges from Baroque to contemporary, with a little Argentinean tango thrown in. Innovative programming is one of the Eroica Trio’s signatures. They’re also prolific commissioners, with at least one premiere every season. Last year it was a piano trio written by Mark O’Connor — the first time the violinist/composer tackled this form.
   "We’re always on the lookout for new repertoire and commission work all the time, putting unusual programs together," Ms. Nickrenz says. "That’s one of the ways we keep things fresh after all this time. But also, our relationship gives us a lot of spontaneity. We can read each others’ minds, we watch each others’ breathing and body language and that keeps it more exciting, the fact that we have this inner knowledge.
   "We were attracted to each others’ playing, attracted to the same historic recordings," she continues. "We have an old-fashioned style of playing — very Romantic, not holding any thing back, really going for it. For a while people were playing more conservatively but that’s not for us."
   The Eroica Trio is noted for breaking the glass ceiling of chamber music, once considered virtually all-male territory. They’re one of the first all-female chamber ensembles to reach the top echelons in their field, paving the way for a new generation of women.
   "When we first started out, there weren’t any all-women chamber music groups at the top of their field," Ms. Nickrenz says. "Some people didn’t know if it would ever happen. We heard (the usual talk) about balancing motherhood with the career challenges and the traveling and what not. But we’re stubborn and we stuck to it. We’re also the only all-woman chamber group that’s been around this long without any personnel changes."
   Winning the prestigious Naumberg Award in 1991 opened a lot of doors for the trio.
   "Once people gave us a chance, that was all we needed," Ms. Nickrenz says. "Now there are more (all-female) groups out there because of what we’ve done and I think that’s fantastic. It’s not as much of a shock to see an all-female ensemble as it was in 1986. I hope we’re an inspiration for women who want to go into (chamber music) as a career."
   The three women shook the staid world of chamber music in another way, breaking away from the studied, conservative playing style set in place for decades or even centuries.
   "That’s great, but it’s not the only way to play," Ms. Nickrenz says. "We recognized something similar in how we expressed ourselves musically, right from the beginning. When you first play with people, you can tell what works and what doesn’t — and this works. There’s an unpredictability to Adela and Sara’s playing that keeps me on my toes and we’re always trying new things. We play with a lot of fearlessness."
   The Eroica Trio — named for Beethoven’s Third Symphony — maintain a rigorous national and international touring schedule, and have found time to record prodigiously, including five acclaimed CDs for Angel/EMI Classics records, several of which have been nominated for a Grammy award.
   They have a new CD, The Best of The Eroica Trio (EMI Classics), with highlights from their other releases, including works by Dvorak, Brahms and Beethoven as well as arrangements of tango pieces by Astor Piazzolla.
   Along the way, the women have recorded in Princeton’s Richardson Auditorium, and Ms. Nickrenz notes the outstanding acoustics there.
   "With all the wood in the hall, it’s great for recording," she says. "We’ve played recitals there and liked it so much we decided to record our Brahms CD (released in January 2002) there."
   A resident of Denville in Morris County, Ms. Nickrenz is especially excited to be playing in New Jersey.
   "I’m even hoping that some of my neighbors might be coming to the concert," she says. "I live here, for one reason, because my husband is Karl Herman, the principal clarinetist with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. In fact, we’ll be playing the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the NJSO, with Neeme Järvi conducting, May 18-21 — it’s actually the final concert in the season. So for Neeme to have chosen us for this concert was a huge honor.
   "We’ve played it often but have never played it with the NJSO, and never with my husband," she continues. "I’ll be looking over there at the clarinet section winking at him."
The Eroica Trio will perform at the Mount-Burke Theatre, the Peddie School, South Main Street, Hightstown, Feb. 26, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20. For information, call (609) 490-7550. On the Web: www.peddie.org/capps. The Eroica Trio on the Web: www.eroicatrio.com