By Lyn Bronson

Laura, Julie and Rebecca Albers

The three talented young Albers sisters, violinist Laurie, violist Rebecca and cellist Julie, have joined together to create a string trio offering music making on the highest level — combining refined musicianship, masterful technique, a fine awareness of musical style, and also lots of youthful glamour. These three attractive young women exude naturalness both in their playing and in their personalities, for during the reception following the concert, we found them to be as charming and unpretentious off stage as on.

Since many performers today ride high on the glamour index, we are used to seeing singers on stage in elaborate makeup and sequined gowns. A few years ago we observed locally here a violinist, whose name I will not mention (but whose initials were N.S.S), swishing out on stage in bright (and tight) green spandex pants, wearing nine-inch heels and sporting enormous dangling earrings that looked like miniature Eifel Towers. You will not observe this kind of obtrusive behavior from the members of the Albers Trio, for they display simple elegance in dress and stage deportment and obviously don’t want to do anything to distract us from their solid and very professional music making.

Of the two works on the program, Mozart’s Divertimento for String Trio, K.563 and Beethoven’s String Trio in D Major, Op. 9, No. 2, it was the Mozart that made the strongest impression. Perhaps this was because the Mozart is the more substantial of the two works, or perhaps it was because as we approached the hour mark of listening to the same combination of instruments, our ears (and brains) began to become a bit numb. In any case, after intermission I would have welcomed the addition of a pianist in a piano quartet to give us more variety of timbre and style. But, nothing can detract from the playing of these three fine young musicians. They project masterful confidence and a real joy in music making.

Hearing music in All Saints Church is a great experience. The space is so naturally resonant that it especially enhances the intimate kind of music making we heard last night. There were moments in the Mozart Divertimento where I closed my eyes and listened to the beautifully precise ensemble playing of the three players. The clarity and projection was so intense that it was difficult to accept that only three people were playing. It truly sounded like a larger ensemble.

The Carmel Music Society’s Mozart Series often invites the audience to a post concert reception downstairs in the Parish Hall. Once again, Victoria Davis and her committee did themselves proud, for it was a lovely affair, and members of the audience had an intimate opportunity to chat with the performers.

Overheard during the post concert reception was more than one person saying, “I hope they will come back. That’s what we like to hear after a concert.

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