Four soloists took on the grueling challenge of recreating the masterpieces of Beethoven, Schubert and Hindemith Sunday afternoon at Zingg Recital Hall. The soloists included cellist Leighton Fong, clarinetist Russel Burnham, Bradley Martin, pianist and violinist Anna Presler from the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, a Bay Area organization.

The first piece covered was Beethoven’s Piano Trio in C minor; three of the soloists participated in creating this thrilling performance. The soloists excelled in highlighting Beethoven’s first great work. The C Minor Piano Trio pays homage to the classical style of piano trios, which involves a piano, violin and cello, but with a twist: Instead of three standard tone shifts, also known as movements, Beethoven lengthened each and added a fourth movement. This additional movement gives the cello and violin an opportunity to further complement one another.

The second work recreated was Franz Schubert’s “Arpeggione” covered by the cellist and pianist. In this rendition of “Arpeggione”, the piano accompanies the cello which takes the place of an arpeggione, a now-extinct string instrument from the early 19th century.

The final set included every soloist for Paul Hindemith’s “Quartet”; the mingling of instruments and voracity radiating from each musician made for a great ending to the recital. After two hours of playing, the soloists were met with a standing ovation and roaring applause from the audience.

More information on events and upcoming performances in the Zingg Recital Hall can be found on the Department of Music and Theatre Chico State website.

Melissa Joseph can be reached at [email protected] or @melisstweetz on Twitter.