LDV76

22 BEETHOVEN_’GHOST’ & ‘ARCHDUKE’ TRIOS You’ve been playing together for many years now . . . Would you describe yourselves as a ‘permanent trio’? David Grimal: I would say that what distinguishes us from a trio of soloists is fidelity, whereas what distinguishes us from a permanent trio is freedom. I don’t feel as if I’mcurtailingmymusical personality in the slightest when I playwithAnne and Philippe. I see it more as a form of complementarity: we’re all very different in what we do and each of us has a very strong personality, but when we’re together we manage to make this difference converge on a common momentum. Philippe Cassard: The very relentless and demanding work we’ve been doing on these Beethoven trios for the last two years has been an exceptionally structuring experience, which has resulted in something quite idiomatic, but never routine.We now feel both freer andmore inclined to listen to each other, to react on the spur of the moment during concerts; in a word, we feel more ‘connected’. There are some things I now find hard to hear played differently from the way Anne or David plays them. There’s a way of phrasing together, of conceiving the tempos, which has gradually harmonised between us. We now only have to talk to each other about tiny details.