The people of Pune had a therapeutic delight for the ears as the Dutch trio of Mireille Heijltjes, Lisanne Soeterbroek and Stephanie Steiner performed at the Nehru Memorial Hall December 27. The trio played the works of Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Hummel, Brahms, and Scharwenka and mesmerized the audience.

Blithe as a bird, the music was intended for people of all ages and tastes. The sonata allegro was an aural delectation. Each musical piece was supplemented with an anecdote narrated by Khurshed Batliwala from the Art of Living, through which he explained briefly about the style of each composer.

Mireille, 37, who plays the piano, has given solo concerts in India earlier also. She says that as a trio, co-ordination of all the three players is the trickiest part. “To achieve the desired pace, we practice our notes individually and then work together to achieve decorum in the piece,” she says. Lisanne, 23, and Stephanie, 25, who play the violin and the viola respectively, studied under the renowned Dutch teacher Coosje Wijzenbeek.

Though most of the music was light and convivial, the likes of Chopin’s Nocturne No 2 in E flat major and Tchaikovsky’s Chanson Triste apparently brought the audience close to ‘tears and memory’. Two of them still studying music; the trio exhibited a piquancy that befits masters. They warned the audience of possible errors before playing the formidable composition by Philipp Scharwenka, though only to expect yet another lively tempo that galvanized the audience into life.

When asked how they liked Pune, they were quick to respond. “The city is great but the place is beset with mosquitoes,” they speak in unison. Recounting their past, the artists say, “We spent lots of hours practicing music in our childhood.” And the adeptness they command is surely on account of those arduous hours of practice. They now desire to pass on their extensive knowledge to students who are eager to learn and each of the three conducts workshops and gives classes in Holland. The artists have waived off their charges on this tour, which exhibits their strife towards the promotion of classical music.