Cameron Hill, Helen Ayres, Stephen King, Simon Cobcroft & Konstantin Shamray

Musica Viva Australia. Adelaide Town Hall. 22 Sep 2021

At the start of the second half of the program before the ensemble launched into the mighty Piano Quintet in F minor, Op.34 by Brahms, pianist Konstantin Shamray addressed the audience – as is customary in Musica Viva concerts – and gave us an insight into Brahms himself rather than the music. “Brahms”, Shamray quips, “was politically incorrect”, and to the great delight of the audience related the following example of Brahms’ gruff humour: Brahms and his colleague Josef Gänsbacher, a cellist, were privately playing one of his sonatas for cello and piano when Gänsbacher complained that he couldn’t hear himself over the piano; Brahms replied: ‘You’re a lucky man!’

It may have been that Gänsbacher wasn’t worth listening to, but what an absolute joy it is to hear this fabulous quintet of players. They don’t regularly play as an ensemble, and hence they have no name. On this occasion they have joined forces to replace the celebrated Goldner String Quartet and Piers Lane who have been locked down in COVID-ravaged Sydney and unable to meet, rehearse or tour! The program they present here is almost the same as what the Goldners and Lane were planning to tour for Musica Viva, except that the planned world première of Jakub Jankowski’s quartet, Kairos, commissioned by the Adelaide Commissioning Circle, was postponed to a future time and replaced by Peter Sculthorpe’s evocative String Quartet No. 15.

Sculthorpe’s String Quartet No. 15 is an evocative composition, and according to Sculthorpe is his response to the vocal tradition of the Simori mountain people of New Guinea. Comprising five eclectic short pieces of about three minutes each, the composition traverses a range of melodic and rhythmic structures that clearly have a non-western ‘feel’ about them. The ensemble play with extraordinary clarity and expose the essence of the work. The droning and stridency evident in the first movement becomes beautiful and playful; the menace and foreboding of the second movement evokes Bernard Herrmann’s score to the famous shower scene in the Hitchcock thriller Psycho, but the ensemble imbues it with a respectful awe; the third movement features a sublime panoramic partnership between King on viola and Cobcroft on cello, and the fourth movement allows Hill and Ayres on violin to usher in a feeling of optimism and arriving at a new destination. The final movement, entitled a cry of joy brings a hush over the audience: were we actually listening to birdsong? The superb technique of the ensemble is laid bare.

Dvořák’s ever-popular String Quartet No.12 in F, Op.96 – the so-called ‘American’ – is a veritable cornucopia of lyrical melodies that once heard remains on humming lips for hours to come. Various musicologists have suggested a programme to the composition, but as pure music it stands by itself and requires no ‘imposed explanation’ to enhance one’s enjoyment of it. Articulation and clarity is again the dominant feature of the ensemble’s performance. In the allegro first movement, Hill and Ayres play with careful and welcome restraint to allow the viola and cello lines to have dominance when needed. In the lento second movement, Cobcroft plays the languid and sad melody with much sensitivity. The heartfelt humour and friskiness inherent in the third movement is evident, and this gives way to joyful playfulness in the finale.

And then to the engine house of the program. The Brahms quintet is a major undertaking for any band, and the performance by tonight’s ‘occasional’ ensemble is as good as any, one has ever heard. Shamray’s performance at the piano, particularly with the right hand, provides a robust and well defined backbone that sustains the endeavours of the strings. The dynamical balance between each of the five instrumentalists is intelligently thought-out, expertly executed, and results in a performance that exudes both lucidity and passion. The forté sections are exhilarating yet pleasingly controlled with ever-present momentum - nothing mawkish.

The most pleasing thing about this concert is that Cameron Hill, Helen Ayres, Stephen King, Simon Cobcroft and Konstantin Shamray all call Adelaide ‘home’. As the old saying goes, every cloud has silver lining, and the COVID-cloud has forced us to rely on our local musical talent to provide our fix of quality art music, and what a fix this performance has been. Here we have an ensemble of musicians at the peak of their craft performing an immensely challenging program and producing an exceptional result. Let’s have more of it, and once the pandemic is done, let’s continue to enjoy and support local talent. It’s world class.

Kym Clayton

When: Closed

Where: Adelaide Town Hall

Bookings: Closed

Nicolas Fleury, Emily Sun & Amir Farid

Musica Viva. Adelaide Town Hall. 17 June 2021

Musica Viva’s latest national concert tour – featuring Nicolas Fleury (horn), Emily Sun (violin) and Amir Farid (piano) – is a world première sandwich, and it’s delicious!

Lockdowns caused by COVID19 have conspired to shorten the tour with the cancellation of the Brisbane and Perth concerts. That means Adelaide played host to the first concert of the tour and therefore also hosted the world première of Gordon Kerry’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, which was only composed last year. Kerry’s Sonata features second on the program, and is sandwiched between two horn trios: Mozart’s Horn Trio in E flat major, KV 407 (arr. Naumann) and Brahm’s Horn Trio in E flat major, Op. 40.

Gordon Kerry is an Australian composer, music administrator, music writer and music critic. He is an erudite and prolific contributor to various programme notes, including those for tonight’s concert! The sonata was commissioned by Julian Burnside AO QC who was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2009, “for service as a human rights advocate, particularly for refugees and asylum seekers, to the arts as a patron and fundraiser, and to the law.” Thank you Julian Burnside!

It is a common and comfortable practice at Musica Viva concerts for the artists to address the audience from the stage and provide personal insights into the music. Tonight, Emily Sun speaks about the idyllic pastoral vista that Gordon Kerry’s music studio overlooks and suggested that the music invokes the changing light, life and rhythms of the very countryside upon which the composition was written. This is not to suggest that the sonata is programmatic in that sense, but it does provide a metaphor that the audience can hold in mind and contemplate as the music washes gently over them. It is an unconventional sonata and doesn’t follow the expected pattern. In Kerry’s own words it is “a kind of mosaic” and “an abstract piece, concerned with the dramatic possibilities of bringing together virtuoso performers.” It turns out to be a very apt description. The piece begins with an elegiac violin line over gently shimmering broken chords on the piano. The violin shoulders the thematic load before the piano substantially enters and asserts itself. The dialogue between the violin and piano is contemplative but also agitated, like viewing dappled sunlight that is trying to break through ever-changing clouds and flickering leaves on trees. (Emily Sun’s metaphor is working through our minds.) The agitation gives way to a textured and rhythmically varied melody on the piano that contrasts a gentle legato violin line that rises and falls like a bird on the wing. The metaphor deepens. The violin now begins a textured journey that is encouraged by a sublime piano accompaniment and the piece finishes in gentle submission as the day draws to a close. It is a gentle and evocative composition that demonstrates Kerry’s inventiveness. Sun and Farid are to be heartily congratulated for a sensitive reading in what is a world première.

Mozart’s Horn Trio was originally a quintet scored for horn, one violin, two violas (unusually) and one cello. Tonight we hear Ernst Naumann’s arrangement for horn, violin and piano, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to hear a horn virtuoso in action. Nicolas Fleury demonstrates mastery of his instrument, and a deep understanding of the music. In the andante second movement, he enunciates the most beautiful hushed tones and produces languid crescendos with no wavering of tone. The rondo third movement is dominated by the horn and the interplay between the three instruments is superbly directed with fastidiousness by Sun from the violin. Farid on piano takes great care to never dominate.

The highlight of the evening is the ensemble’s reading of the Brahms Horn Trio. Written specifically for a ‘natural’ horn (that is, no valves), the melodic line is very much grounded in the harmonics of the instrument’s natural key and exudes melancholy in the first movement. Brahms reputedly wrote it as a response to his grief over the death of his mother, and Farid and Fleury produce achingly beautiful tension from the outset. In the sprightly allegro section of the second movement, Farid extracts remarkable bell-like tones from the piano that combined exquisitely with the violin and horn. In the adagio third movement, which to this reviewer’s ear is the heart and soul of the composition, Sun is at the top of her game and ensures the ensemble combines to create longing sadness that is, at the insistence of a well-articulated melody on the horn, also hopeful and inspiring. This gives way to the fun and jauntiness of the well-known melody in the allegro final movement that has all the fun of a pursuit! Farid is on fire as he wonderfully executes emphatic crashing chords, while Fleury soars above with the melody. All the while, Sun keeps the exuberance in check and ensures the rambunctiousness and briskness of the chase doesn’t escape them all!

At the end the three artists embrace, (but in a COVID-safe socially-distanced manner) to underline their great relief that the concert finally made it to a stage in front of a real audience.

This concert offers so much: a very satisfying program, a combination of instruments that is infrequently heard on the concert stage, artists of international repute, and a world premiere performance as well!

Kym Clayton

When: Closed in Adelaide

Where: Adelaide Town Hall  

Bookings: Refer to musicaviva.com.au for concert dates in other cities, including livestream on Monday 21 Jun 2021.

Romantic Treasures

Kegelstatt Ensemble. Burnside Ballroom. 7 Jun 2021

It is a joy to hear live performances of seldomly performed works, and the most recent concert of Adelaide’s very own Kegelstatt Ensemble gave that experience to a sizable and appreciative audience in the Burnside Town Hall Ballroom, in spite of the exterior road traffic noise that works its way into the auditorium; Adelaide desperately needs an intimate high-quality concert venue. Unfortunately, Kegelstatt concerts are frequently one-off events and so if you missed this one, then you missed it.

In their own words, the Kegelstatt Ensemble is “dedicated to facilitating approachable experiences of great works and lesser known gems of the chamber music repertoire, especially those rarely heard live due to their scoring for non-standard combinations of instruments.” True to their word, today’s concert included two lesser known works – Emilie Mayer’s String Quartet in G minor, Op. 14, and Dvořák’s Drobnosti (Miniatures) for two violins and viola, Op. 75a. The program finished with Schubert’s well-known String Quartet in A minor, D. 804 “Rosamunde”, which might deserve the tag ‘treasure’, but it’s arguable that the Mayer and Dvořák do!

The Kegelstatt Ensemble also has a focus on “historically informed performance” which results in playing techniques and practices that are closer to how compositions may have been performed at the time they were written. An obvious example of this is playing on period instruments, and for today’s concert the Kegelstatt’s instruments were strung with pure gut strings rather than metal, synthetic or composite strings. In the hands of accomplished musicians, gut strings can produce more brilliant sounds (as more overtones come into prominence) and a warmer and more ‘homely’ tone.

The members of the Kegelstatt are indeed quality players and they elicited beautiful sounds throughout the Mayer string quartet and gave its ample melodic themes both distinctiveness and personality. The opening allegro appassionato movement featured a prominent viola and cello combination from real life partners Anna Webb and Kim Worley who set a high standard for the remainder of the performance. Undeservedly, Mayer is almost an unknown composer of the Romantic period, and this performance was an eye-opener. Mayer deserves to be heard more often.

The performance of Dvořák’s Miniatures was the highlight of the concert. The four relatively short pieces for two violins and viola have the character of a suite, and each piece is rich with character, melody and rhythmic charm. Rachael Beesley and Ben Dollman on violin produced a sweet singling style, even in the enthusiastic folk-song inflected second movement.

Schubert’s so-called “Rosamunde” string quartet was played with superb clarity and articulation, especially in the andante second movement and the allegro moderato final movement. The inner voices came through particularly well, which is a credit to Beesley’s work as leader.

The Kegelstatt Ensemble is a quality performance and educative outfit, and deserves its place on Adelaide’s chamber music calendar.

Kym Clayton

When: Closed

Where: Burnside Town Hall

Bookings: Closed

Bartok, Mendelssohn, Fisher

Australian String Quartet. Adelaide Town Hall. 24 May 2021

Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once opined that the only constant in life is change, and change is certainly afoot at the ASQ as its makeup enters a new phase. Tonight’s concert is violist Stephen King’s last (in Adelaide) as a member of the ASQ, and it is Michael Dahlenburg’s first as the new cellist replacing Sharon Grigoryan who left at the end of last year. It was interesting to observe that both Dale Barltrop (first violin) and Michael Dahlenburg both wore resplendent dusty lavender coloured evening jackets, while King sported traditional black as if not to draw attention to himself. But with the announcement of his departure, King was always going to be in the spotlight in some way throughout the evening. More on that shortly. King did however wear lavender coloured socks which might be considered a nod to the fact that he won’t entirely be leaving the ASQ: he will remain in an administrative capacity to manage the organisation’s education outreach program.

The program included Felix Mendelssohn’s lush String Quartet No.1 in E flat major, Op.12, which was sandwiched between Bela Bartok’s String Quartet No.3 and Pavel Fischer’s String Quartet No.3 “Mad Piper”. The bookends stole the show, especially the Fischer which is a very new composition only completed in 2011.

Written to be performed without a pause between its sections, Bartok’s String Quartet No.3 is redolent with motifs derived from Eastern European folk music traditions, including an unexpected droning accompaniment on violin and cello that allowed the spotlight to settle on Stephen King’s honeyed work on viola, at least for time. (Interestingly, the same spotlight shone on him in the third section of the Fischer, which Barltrop described as a “soliloquy for solo viola”.) The Bartok is often played with unconcealed passion - as a nod to the Roma heritage of some of its thematic material - but on this occasion the ASQ played with restraint and carefully exposed the melodic and rhythmic riches of the piece.

Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No.1 in E flat major was written when he was only 14. As the work of a composer who is ostensibly in the grips of classicism at such an early stage of his development, the quartet is unadventurous in its scope and structure, but it is lyrical and often on the verge of ‘breaking out’ into the unexpected. The temptation for the performers is to overplay “one’s hand”, but the ASQ do not fall into that trap and the result, not unlike the Bartok, is a tightly executed performance that allows the fine detail to shine through clearly, especially in the second movement (marked ‘Canzonetta’) that was quite beautiful to listen to.

Pavel Fischer was born in the Czech Republic in 1965 and is the director of the Winterschool program of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music. A violinist, Fischer is also a composer of some note and his String Quartet No.3 is a highly enjoyable and notable work that merits being regularly performed around the world. Entitled “Mad Piper”, the quartet is named after Bill Millin who was a Scottish piper who apparently led a company of soldiers into battle at Normandy while playing his bag pipes! Predictably, a stylistic feature of the composition is drone-like accompaniment produced on the cello and violins at various times against which the viola plays. King relished the scope given to his instrument and abundantly demonstrated why his playing is much loved and why he will be greatly missed. The composition also features gypsy-like motifs, rhythmical structures and playing techniques that hearken back to the Bartok at the start of the concert, somehow completing the loop and giving the entire program a satisfying coherence.

Kym Clayton

When: Closed in Adelaide. Until 18 June elsewhere across Australia

Where: Adelaide Town Hall

Bookings: asq.com.au