Violinist Graham Patten's '07 gentle performance Saturday night belied his technical skill in the solo works he performed, as well as in the sublime piano trio that concluded the evening. The first concert of the Department of Music's senior recital series this season showcased the violinist and provided a fitting venue for the talents of a few of his fellow musicians. The well-received program in Slosberg Recital Hall consisted of three solo pieces, one sonata and a trio performed by the Student Ensemble in Residence Program trio. Fritz Kreisler's "Recitativo and Scherzo" and Niccoli Paganini's "Caprice No. 13" provided a captivating beginning to the recital that served to prepare the audience-and perhaps Patten himself-for the lenthly pieces by Bach and Brahms that followed. "Recitatavo and Scherzo" exhibited the player's remarkable faculty for technical tricks of many types. The Paganini piece, meanwhile, was delicate and melodic; its theme, despite heavy repetition, managed to stay fresh until the end of the piece.

Bach's "Chaconne, Partita No. 2 in D minor" and Brahms' "Sonata No. 1 in G major" followed. Patten played without bombast, but the composition of the "Chaconne, and Partita" can seem overly dramatic and repetitive to the modern ear; despite Patten's still, serene style, the piece's many trills and flourishes were a little much.

The Bach then ceded the stage to Brahms' sonata, which was much more moderate. Here, Arum Chun's '08 piano accompaniment, however beautiful, at times overpowered the violin during the first movement. This isn't to belittle the performance; Chun and Patten's performances complemented each other well throughout the three long movements.

The crowning point of the program was Bed?ich Smetana's "Piano Trio No. 1 in G minor," performed with cellist Sidney Coren '07 and pianist Joshua Klein '07, who make up the rest of the SERP Trio. Strong piano figures throughout the piece propelled the action, while Coren and Patten's divergent string phrases made some of the most sublime sounds of the evening. Recurrent heavy chords by Klein punctuated the third movement, which ended rather abruptly-and almost humorously. Humor is, of course, not a typical characteristic of Smetana's work; he wrote "Piano Trio in G minor," supposedly to reflect his sadness over the loss of two of his children, both of whom died within a year of the work's composition. The piece's abrupt chords and phrases are interpreted by some to represent the lives of his children, which were similarly cut short.

Patten's modest stage manner did much to complement his performance. His lack of dramatic flourishes and showboating illuminated the purity of the music and his technical acuity; consequently, his sonata and trio pieces seemed more partnerships of musicians than mere vehicles to demonstrate Patten's talent.