BY THOMAS MISSON
Modigliani Quartet
via Musica Viva
Hobart Town Hall, 20 October
Many legendary stories of illustrious performers involve a last minute call to take the place of another musician.
Enter Christophe Morin, the gloved cellist who swooped in to save the day after regular cellist Francois Kieffer was involved in a road accident. In the absence of the usual line up, a change of repertoire was necessary and Nigel Westlake’s Second String Quartet was dropped for Shostakovich’s first. Disappointing though it was to see this phenomenal work to miss a performance on Tasmanian soil, this became an interesting opportunity to take some field notes on how a ‘ring-in’ copes in a professional environment.
Haydn’s 36th string quartet opened proceedings. The cellist took a little while to settle into the first movement, but once settled contributed expertly to an elegant and refined performance even if the cellist projected some slightly unsuitable, overt romanticism with both his sound and body. The lilting triple-time of the following Adagio could have sat back a little for added contrast. The cantabile-feel was communicative and sensitive while still maintaining restraint and every entry and cut-off was very tidy, clearly no corners had been cut here.
A dancing feel was well accomplished in the Minuet third movement with very crisp on-beat/off-beat exchanges between first and second violins. The cellist appeared to be at odds with the Haydn once again in the finale with a slightly more forceful intent than the others who appeared to personify a happy woodland critter. This was a deeply satisfying rendition of the Haydn that took some worthwhile calculated risks in repertoire often rife with rigid pedantry.
By the time Beethoven’s 11th string quartet rolled around, it was clear that the overt romanticism and intensity was more comfortable ground for Morin. The confrontational nature and capriciousness that underpins not just this movement but Beethoven’s personality was brought forth with daring force from the first measures. A more restrained lyricism in the next movement made for a good contrast while the fugato sections were satisfying technically and musically, with the articulations and entries precise and consistent and a sense of poise balance and sense of contrapuntal function maintained.
The highlight of the evening was the Scherzo third movement which was anything but jocular. The contrast with the earlier Haydn was at its peak here in a dirtier, rougher, fiery display that satisfied. The abrupt mood changes into lyrical sections were reflected so naturally in the body language response and the Hobart Town Hall augmented the sound to something much more orchestral in the louder sections. The rests really spoke and were almost percussive with a rigid drawing away of the bow building a truly exhilarating amount of tension. The lively and panic-stricken fourth movement was also exciting as the various duos and trios were thrown around the ensemble deftly with great angst and urgency spiralling seamlessly towards a rapid, virtuosic coda.
After an intermission, Schubert’s 10th quartet marked a return to restrained classicism in an easy-to-digest work composed when Schubert was just 16 and not of full compositional maturity. This received a somewhat less-engaged and committed performance from the quartet. What remained in the absence of drama and outward virtuosity was a clinic in the fundamentals, intonation, dynamics, balance, ensemble communication and phrasing. The third movement had some lovely moments of lyricism and the faster fourth movement ramped up excitement.
An unusual structure and optimistic folky melody writing made the first Shostakovich quartet feature an interesting finale. The opening was chipper but not with the usual sardonicism so often tied to Shostakovich. The subdued, mellow melody writing meandered pleasingly around several tonalities with the quartet drawing great attention to harmony changes and incidental dissonances.
Laurent Marfaing really shined in the second movement communicating a colder, darker mood in his viola solo. The dialogue with a viola solo wedged between a conversation of cello and second violin pizzicato was a particularly special moment. The third movement was light-hearted, like a Mendelssohn scherzo with a repeated note motif in its outer sections. The pulse here didn’t seem quite as controlled and the body language from the players seemed to indicate compromised command. This resulted in a loss of clarity and it came across as babbled sometimes.
The finale was exciting, even if the narrative and shaping of this movement was odd with the final bars arriving out of nowhere with little sense of closure. This may have been a slightly esoteric example Shostakovich’s sense of irony. The programme ended with an entertaining all-pizzicato affair in Leroy Anderson’s ‘Plink Plank Plunk’.
The new cellist displayed confidence, control, technique and ensemble skill even if the intent was sometimes not in keeping with the rest of the quartet. But this is completely justified given the quartet’s 11-year history and it was wonderful that the concert still went ahead. This was truly a world class display of everything a chamber music group should strive for. As for the fate of the Westlake, it is a deserves an airing on Tasmanian soil as soon as possible. Hop to it, ambitious string students!
Image supplied.
