SSO and the Eroica Trio:

Mina and I had tickets to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra's season opening concert this evening, which featured the Eroica Trio doing Beethoven's Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Cello in C Major (Op. 56), or the "Triple" Concerto. I had only ever heard this concerto on a live CD as performed by Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, and Yo-Yo Ma with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, but had heard that it is one of the least performed of Beethoven's catalog because it is so difficult to find either three top virtuoso soloists who are willing to work together as a team or a trio that is technically proficient enough to really handle the piece. I was curious to see 

what a world class trio like the Eroica group could do with it.

My impression was that this group was good, but not great on this very difficult pie

ce. They have become famous for performing it with various orchestras, but I was left with the feeling that this fame may come more from the novelty of there being a group that focuses on this concerto rather than their actual proficiency with it. The violin part (Susie Park) was played very, very well, and was the clear winning part of the piece. The piano (Erika Nickrenz) was quite good, if a little timid at times. The cello (Sara Sant'Ambrogio) part, however, was likely a little out of range. The liner notes to the piece indicate that it is written to stay in the cello's high register so that the instrument doesn't get lost between the violin and piano, and this may account for the tone problems that were (at least to my unprofessional ear) apparent. When the trio played a tango for their encores, all of the issues I had with their sound on the Beethoven disappeared. Perhaps that piece is just too much?

The concert was iminently enjoyable, however. I like to hear groups that challenge themselves and that seem to be having a good time doing so. The Eroica Trio shared smiles with each other, with the conductor of the SSO, and with the audience throughout (especially when the audience erupted in applause after the 1st movement...something that happens way too often at SSO concerts...)

The SSO part of the concert prior to the intermission was well performed. The Star Spangled Banner was a nice touch to the beginning of the season and their renditions of Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain (which reminded me of the movie score to Midway), and Borodin's Polovtian Dances were all spirited, well rehearsed, and full sounding.

All in all, this was a nice opening to the season. Hopefully there will be other high points to report as we go through the year.

Post Comprehensive Exams - A Return to the Kitchen:

With my comprehensive exams in the rear view mirror (actually, I won't know whether I passed for another week or so, but the tests are over, anyway), I have had some time to spend in the kitchen and have had a couple of good dinners. I recently got the October issue of Food & Wine magazine and put together the Baked Orecchiette with Pork Sugo that was featured. Think baked ziti, but rather than that mass produced buffet lunch staple, this was just a fantastic dish, full of rustic flavors.

To start, brown off about 1 pound of meaty western style pork ribs, and then sweat a mix of diced onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a cast iron dutch oven. Deglaze with about 1 cup of dry red wine and add a 14 oz. can of diced tomatos and a sachet of thyme sprigs and a bay leaf. Return the meat to the pot and reduce the liquid by about half. At this point, add enough chicken stock to just cover the meat. Cover up the pot and simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours. Once the meat is tender, remove it from the bone and shred it in a food processor. Use an immersion blender to chop up the vegetables in the liquid.

The final step is to boil about 1/2 poind of orecchiette pasta (medium shells or farfalle would also work) for about 5 minutes (the package I used suggested 11 minutes to al dente, so you are cooking the pasta only part way). Mix the pasta with the soup and the shredded por

k and pour it all into a casserole and top with shredded parmesan cheese. This goes into a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or so, or until the cheese is golden brown and delicious. I drank part of a bottle of a South African Cabernet Sauvignon with this dish.

For dessert, we had found some fresh raspberries on sale and so I decided to make a ch

ocolate lava cake that had berries inside rather than chocolate. A super-rich dessert, but the raspberries added a brightness that most lava cakes sacrifice for decadence. Not only was this a 

delicious dessert, it looked nice too!