http://www.sfcv.org/arts_revs/musicmenlo1_8_9_05.php Music critics' epaulets are routinely torn off their shoulders if they mention "time standing still," but there are no sufficient euphemisms to get around the hackneyed phrase this time, so farewell to my ornamental cloth pad for now. The moment came early at the Music@Menlo Festival's third program on Tuesday, in Palo Alto's St. Mark's Church. It was during the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Trio in D Major (the "Ghost") when musicians and surroundings fell away and the mysterious, haunting music took over, as time, yes, stood still. Three very different musicians, seemingly not all that well grouped together - violinist Ian Swensen, cellist Ronald Thomas, and pianist Derek Han - were already getting their "ensemble legs" in the opening Allegro of the Op. 70, No. 1: a lyrical cello, a heroic piano, with the violin providing the connective tissue. And then the Largo, and the music played truly "allegro assai ed espressivo" - "very lively and expressively" and yet something well beyond that: fluent, flawless, inexorable, and in an enchanted fashion, perhaps "incantato"? After that breathtaking opener, there was an almost welcome rest provided by a mild-mannered, forgettable - and indeed virtually forgotten - work: Carl Maria von Weber's Grand Quintet for Clarinet and Strings. The 1815 work is a mid-career shot at chamber music, with an opening Allegro that seems to pay tribute to Beethoven and a closing Rondo that imitates Rossini. In- between, there are many pleasant notes, and virtually no music to sink one's teeth into. And yet, young festival favorite (and the Metropolitan Opera's new principal clarinetist) Anthony McGill did the most he could with the Weber, well-supported by the Miro Quartet. The ensemble, participating in the festival's complete cycle of Beethoven quartets, is from the University of Texas, Austin. Its members are Daniel Ching and Sandy Yamamoto (violins), John Largess (viola), and Joshua Gindele (cello). "Serious" music returned after the intermission, with Mendelssohn's 1845 Quintet for Strings in B-flat Major, played to the hilt by a remarkable fivesome: violinists Swensen and Jorja Fleezanis, violists Cynthia Phelps and Geraldine Walther, and cellist David Finckel. They honored the work with the utmost dedication, visible-audible-palpable involvement and commitment, through the majestic Allegro, the graceful Andante, hitting a high(er) point in the Adagio, and its slow, enchanting introduction - before music and performance turned "heavy" briefly. The experience of watching and hearing Phelps and Walther playing side by side justifies the name and spirit of a "festival," being a truly festive occasion. In the concluding Allegro (molto vivace), Swensen became literally and musically airborne, leaning into the music with such force that he occupied his chair only now and then. What normally could be just distracting mannerism was more than acceptable in this case, the physicality of the performance being a sincere, unaffected part of an obvious personal-best achievement that propelled the music forward amazingly. Besides the audience acclaim, Swensen received warm acknowledgment from his colleagues, all five beaming in the elation that follows an obviously great performance. Young musicians of the festival's International Program (of coaching and performing) also acquitted themselves well during the afternoon Prelude concert. Violinist Nathan Olson, violist Jessica Oudin, and cellist David Requiro presented an excellent Beethoven String Trio in G Major (Op. 9, No. 1), starting with spacious opening bars, exhibiting a playful ensemble sound. They got into the heart of the music in the second-movement Adagio, with restraint, and singing the "cantabile" part that has one of Beethoven's best vocal-music passage (albeit written for strings). Olson and Oudin are eloquent musicians; Requiro presents a fascinating contrast of looking impossibly young and yet playing with consistent, calm maturity. The trio - and the audience - had great fun with the Presto's breakneck (and yet accurate) rush. Pianist Teresa Yu, featured in a previous festival concert described in Classical Voice (www.sfcv.org), was even more impressive at this Prelude concert, anchoring the Beethoven Piano Quartet in E-flat Major (Op. 16), with a bright sound and rock-solid consistency, serving as an eminently musical metronome . . . and leader. Violinist Amy Schroeder, violist Gillian Gallagher, and cellist Andrew Yee played "gravely" where this work - originally written for woodwinds - called for it, but also channeling later the lively sound of those instruments. (The opening Allegro is actually marked "Grave.") Gallagher took a star turn in the Andante cantabile, her viola floating on pearly runs from Yu's piano. Through the work, the young musicians met the music's unusual challenge of repeating long passages, and yet making the same notes sound different every time. (Janos Gereben, a regular contributor to www.sfcv.org, is arts editor of the Post Newspaper Group.) Janos Gereben/SF www.sfcv.org [log in to unmask]