The CSO’s John Sharp and Stephen Williamson find new outlet as Elysian Trio

Very few works have been written for clarinet, cello and piano — but when musicians enjoy playing together, they find a way.

The Elysian Trio, consisting of Chicago Symphony Orchestra Principal Cello John Sharp, Principal Clarinet Stephen Williamson and pianist Umi Garrett, will present a chamber-music concert on Dec. 2 at Orchestra Hall of works by Beethoven, Bruch and Brahms. In a recent interview, Sharp said that this program almost exhausts the repertoire for that combination of instruments. But he and Williamson have played together in other small groups, and they were looking for a way to do more.

“Steve is an incredible musician and a great clarinetist,” Sharp said. “I call him a force of nature, with a huge tonal and dynamic range and enormous energy and beauty in his playing.”

In response, Williamson said, “John is one of the greatest cellists I have ever known, and his musicianship is of the highest order. He’s always challenging himself to play something better.”

The two have been talking about doing the Brahms trio for years, Williamson said, and when they got the go-ahead from the CSO, he was mildly surprised to be asked to put together an evening-length concert. “It’s a chance to expand our musical horizons,” he said.

This marks the first concert for this Elysian Trio (Sharp noted, “They had to give us a name”), and possibly the last because of the limited repertoire for this combination of instruments. The Bruch, in fact, was originally written for clarinet and viola, but the composer later produced an alternate version substituting cello for viola.

Williamson has played the piece with a violist before, but doing it with cello will be a first for him. “It has an even richer quality that way, because of the harmonic series,” he said. “I feel lucky that I play the clarinet, because so much great music has clarinet as a part of it.”

Orchestra musicians, who have to coordinate tightly with 70 other instrumentalists, plus a conductor, do not have the same freedom to make decisions as chamber musicians do. But, Sharp said, “In any ensemble, you’re listening and responding to the other people you’re playing with.”

When a small group of musicians play together without a conductor, they have to work out differences on their own. “Sometimes we think similarly about tempos or dynamics, and there’s not much to discuss,” Sharp said. “And hopefully most of it happens in the actual playing,” rather than spending time talking about things.

“It’s a very healthy thing for orchestra players to play chamber music,” Sharp said, and he appreciates the chance to do so under the aegis of the CSO. “That only helps our orchestral playing. It’s all ensemble playing.”

Williamson had heard pianist Umi Garrett perform in Chicago at the Dame Myra Hess concerts, as well as a collaborative pianist for the Steans Institute at Ravinia in the summer.

Currently finishing her second year in the advance degree program at Juilliard, Garrett has been a highly sought-after collaborative pianist by artists such as Midori, and musicians from Marlboro and Lincoln Center, to name a few. “She’s fantastic and super-sensitive,” Williamson said. “When John approached me about doing this concert, I said, ‘I think I know the pianist [for this].’ ”

Garrett will come to Chicago before rehearsals for the concert begin. “It’s going to be wonderful,” Williamson said. “And I’m excited to do it with John and Umi.”

The performance will be in Orchestra Hall, but to create a more intimate experience for the audience, listeners will be seated on the Terrace (the seats above the stage) and on the stage itself. 

“People appreciate being closer to the performers,” Sharp said. “When we go to the opera, my favorite seats are in the second or third row. It’s an ideal acoustic.”