Kalichstein, Laredo and Robinson might sound like partners in a law firm. Actually, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio is one of the most distinguished piano trios in the world, and one of the only chamber music groups that still has its original members.

        The trio — pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson — performs Tuesday in Corbett Auditorium. The Enquirer spoke with Ms. Robinson by phone from New York, while Mr. Laredo practiced his violin in the background.

IF YOU GO

What: The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, presented by the Cincinnati Chamber Music Society.    When: 8 p.m. Tuesday.    Where: Corbett Auditorium, University of Cincinnati.    Tickets: $20; $7 students; CCM students free with ID. 533-0451.    The program: Beethoven, Trio in B-flat, Op. 11; Danielpour, “A Child's Reliquary”; Brahms, Trio in B Major, No. 1, Op. 8.

        Question: How did the three of you happen to come together?

        Answer: Jaime and I are married. We thought how wonderful it would be to have an ongoing chamber music group. The first person who came to mind was Joseph Kalichstein. We had played with him at (New York's) 92nd Street Y, and just adored his sound, his musicianship, his wit — everything. We asked him to give it a try. That was in the summer of '76, and our first concert was in January 1977 at the White House. We were asked at the last minute to play at President Carter's Inauguration.

        It will be 24 years in January.

        Q: Did you think it would last this long?

        A: We hoped it would be a forever thing, but you never know until you are on stage together, have toured together and see what life has dealt you in the cards. It has nourished the other parts of our lives, our solo careers and recitals.

        Q: Tell us about Richard Danielpour's piece on your program, “A Child's Reliquary.”

        A: We've just recorded it; it's an important contribution to the 21st century, and audiences love it. We approached Richard to write us a piece. . . . We've always enjoyed his music. When he sat down to write it, a friend of his lost his (infant) son, who drowned. He had to write about it. The first and last movements are very poignant. He takes Brahms' Lullaby and puts it in a twisted mirror.

        Q: How do you and your husband work together as colleagues?

        A: We try to be honest and brutally frank, and just know it's for the good of the music. We're going for this unattainable perfection, and it can be frustrating. After rehearsal's over, we put away the music, and don't discuss any of it. We have our own private life. We love great hotels, restaurants and touring together. When we have a day off, we see friends, go to museums and movies. We have fun.

        Q: Do you ever disagree on elements of performance?

        A: We certainly do! We're both fairly headstrong, and we both think we're right a lot of the time. But we aren't afraid to change. Some pieces we pick up again after a few years, and it becomes clear which way was right.

        Q: If it's Tuesday, it must be Cincinnati. How do you keep the music fresh?

        A: One of our secrets is we try not to do back-to-back concerts. Lots of people will do eight concerts in eight days. We never do that. We don't feel it serves the music. The other thing is, because we all have other avenues where we're making music, that really does keep us all fresh. And we have a large repertoire. We do many different programs each season, not just one or two. It never becomes routine.

        Q: Has anyone ever asked if “piano trio” means that you play three pianos?

        A: (Laughs) There were a couple of places where we showed up, and the stage crew had put out three pianos. I'm not going to say where.
       

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