THE Music in the Round series presented by the Sage Gateshead at All Saints, in Newcastle, was brought to a heady conclusion with a superlative performance from the Kungsbacka Trio.

The audience may have been much smaller than usual, but this only added to the magical intimacy of the evening, which began with a recital of Dvorak's Piano Trio in B Major.

The most optimistic of his works, it pulsated with energy under the lead of pianist Jesper Svedberg.

Simon Crawford-Phillips on cello underpinned the score with magnificent bass lines, while violinist Malin Broman thrilled with finely crafted melodies.

The adagio ended with the notes wafting off into the ether, before the trio romped home to the finale with some sparkling keyboard work.

The interval was followed by Brahms' Piano Trio in C Major. Composed towards the end of his life, it is a soulful piece laden with pathos. Svedberg's phrasing was emphatic and sensitive and the andante was invested with a soulful beauty.

The tour de force was Shostakovich's Piano Trio No 2, composed in 1944, shortly after news of the concentration camps emerged. Crawford-Phillips' cello entered crying out with pain, followed by a plaintive violin and sombre piano. The trio extracted every ounce of emotion as the mood swung violently from despair to joy to fury. For the fortunate few to have been there it was an unforgettable experience.

Published: 11/03/2004