January 18, 2026 — The Chamber Music concert at the Gunn Theater, California Palace of the Legion of Honor — was splendid and exciting. The trio of marvelous musicians manage to discover hidden treasure of music composed by great composers. On Sunday, the little known music thrilled the full house audience.

The program opened with Franz Schubert’s Notturno in E-flat major, D.897 (ca.1827). Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)

It seems that Schubert might have planned the piece to be an adagio in his Piano Trio in B-flat major. That did not happen; the Adagio/Notturno had its own life. Sadly, tragically, Schubert passed away just one year after this composition. Notturno in E-flat major was not published until 1846. It is a brief beauty. Its eight minutes received bad reviews. Some of the writers accused the work of being too long. Sometimes reviewers do not appreciate the glory before them. The piano presents a gentle theme; the strings begin a pizzicato weaving into the piano’s theme which could have grown from the composer’s suspended thoughts. There are two variations. The first is active in the piano’s arpeggios. The Notturno finds itself in a calmer, quieter variation through new arpeggios as the three instruments find unity as the music flies away on a dragon fly’s wings.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)

Mozart’s Violin Sonata in B-flat major, K.378 is a brilliant sonata. It is one of a group of four that he had published in 1781. Often musicians complained that this sonata, and other music by Mozart was too hard to play. Barantschik smiled playing it. Nel was playing the piano brilliantly. The two-some know each other’s over the top abilities. This sonata is from a revolutionary time for music. The harpsichord was still in use, but it was giving way to the piano. In Mozart’s sonatas the violin and the piano can be equal stars. They play together, starting, changing, each instrument accompanies the other. Dancing higher and higher above what would be a mere A+; Up there the musicians live the music.

Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)

One learns early that re-writing can bring forth something different, maybe better, maybe fewer typos, too. Brahms rewrote his Piano Trio No.1 in B major, Opus 8. He rewrote 37 years after the first version. He cut off a third of the original. The differences show up in comparing the titles of the movements. The first movement has more energy as Allegro con brio; it had been Allegro con moto. The third movement had been Adagio non troppo; now it is simply Adagio.The fourth and final movement had been Allegro molto agitato, but now it is Allegro. Thirty-seven years of successful composing gave Brahms confidence and skills. His rewriting led him to tweak the structure of his work. The inner, delicate scaffolding with one more relation of each tone and rhythm. As this majestic trio opened, I settled in to be as close as I could to hear and see Brahms’ world. There I find the treasure. It is our earthly treasure, our passion for living.