In this era of having to stretch resources and do more with less, one pair of musicians has succeeded in increasing productivity by exactly 50%....

In this era of having to stretch resources and do more with less, one pair of musicians has succeeded in increasing productivity by exactly 50%. They have pushed their duo into trio territory and musical boundaries similarly fall by the wayside. While the violist, Molly Gebrian, remains devoted to her one instrument, the bump in yield is thanks to the super powers of Danny Holt who is equally adept at both piano and percussion, and with the normal number of limbs, deftly employs them and mental acrobatics to wild musical results. Holt’s integration of piano and percussion must be seen to be believed- ranging from incredibly subtle to absurdly virtuosic, pushing the performer to extremes. According to Holt, the idea “stems form my passion for innovation and what might be described as a sense of playful creative restlessness- a somewhat obsessive need to push myself beyond what I already know I am capable of.” Since there was previously no music for the unusual instrumentation of viola and solo piano/percussion, Gebrian and Holt have taken it upon themselves to build an entirely new repertoire. The half dozen works heard here on Trios for Two are among their commissions. The whole project is at once an innovative experiment, a beautiful and sometimes ridiculous spectacle, and alos the result of a twenty-year friendship.