The Press Democrat  Trio's triple concerto steals show at SR Symphony March 18, 2002 By DIANE PETERSON Just a week before the Oscars, the Santa Rosa Symphony presented its own showcase of stars Saturday night with a trio of Bay Area soloists that brought verve and energy to Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C major.  Led by Conductor Laureate Corrick Brown, the symphony also performed breathtakingly beautiful music from a famous "Ring" cycle -- Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung," not "The Lord of the Rings" -- along with a lilting piece Wagner wrote for his new son and his wife.  Brown, who is celebrating his 45th year on the podium, comes out of retirement once a year to lead the Santa Rosa Symphony during one of its subscription concert sets.  Saturday night, it was the triple concerto, with its intimate, three-way conversation among soloists, that stole the show and brought the audience to its feet.  Although the triple concerto can be long-winded and dry, this particular trio -- violinist Ian Swensen, cellist Jean-Michel Fonteneau and pianist Eric Zivian -- brought out the work's sunny humor with understated restraint and elegance.  The trio, which performed in Santa Rosa Junior College's chamber music series last season, has roots at the San Francisco Conservatory, where two of the members teach. Theirs is a fellowship of the string, inspired by a love of chamber music.  To help the orchestra hear the soloists, the trio was placed in front of the orchestra, with the pianist to the right, the cellist in the center, and the violinist to the left.  Tossing melodies and arpeggios back and forth, the trio pulled in listeners and orchestra members alike with its whispered, conversational style.  Written for the famous Czech cellist Anton Kraft, the triple concerto makes phenomenal demands on the cellist. Fonteneau, who flashed a beatific smile throughout, was mostly up to the challenge.  The puckish Swensen tossed off the violin part flawlessly, with a sweet, high-energy tone and reliable pitch, even way up in the upper register.  The interplay between violin and cello -- a key component to the concerto -- was seamless, with each player neatly handing over and picking up his lines.  On piano, the bouncy Zivian was forceful when he needed to be, but he also lent a delicate touch to his part, which is more difficult than is generally acknowledged.  Under Brown's baton, the orchestra brought balance and sensitivity to the accompaniment, especially during the fast and furious finale.  After intermission, Brown conducted "Siegfried's Idyll," Wagner's most popular orchestral work, without a baton, coaxing a warm tone from the strings. The woodwind and horn solos were also noteworthy.  The concert closed with Wagner's "Rhine Journey" from "Gotterdammerung," the final drama of the composer's famous "Ring of the Nibelung" cycle.  Boasting a big orchestra, and studded with harp, bass clarinet, and French horn solos, the work gives a delicious taste of Wagner's rich orchestral imagination, without reminding us too overtly of his unsavory politics.  The concert opener, Stravinsky's Suites 1 and 2, seemed lifeless in comparison to the rest of the program and lacking in conviction. However, the pieces ended on a high note with a high-energy Polka and Galop. All in all, it was a concert worthy of the red carpet treatment and a fitting tribute to Brown's 45th year with the symphony.