RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet and Marwood Family Ensemble*
23rd October 2009
| Haydn | String Quartet in C, Op 33 No 3 (Bird) |
| Rimsky-Korsakov | Allegro in B-flat. From 'Les Vendredis'. |
| Mozart * | Oboe Quartet in F, K370 |
| Beethoven | String Quartet No 7 in F, Op 59 No 1 (Rasumovsky) |
The opening concert this season was remarkable for several reasons: there were seven musicians playing four quartets; there was a sense of congratulation, of homecoming, and also of some regret, but it was nonetheless a happy occasion.
The
RTE Vanburgh, well known from their radio broadcasts and recordings
played the Haydn, Rimsky-Korsakov and Beethoven, and the Marwood
Family Ensemble re-formed to play the Mozart oboe quartet to
celebrate their father Michael Marwood’s 90th birthday. This was
at the wish of their mother, Anne, to whom the concert was
dedicated, and who, alas, was not to hear them again as she died
earlier this year. Michael is the energetic Concert Secretary whose
tireless work for the society has long daunted younger members of
the committee. He has been a major influence over the years and
has been responsible, with his late wife, for bringing to the NYS a
string of major talent, established and aspiring, which has been
such a feature of the concerts.
In fact, the Marwood Ensemble was not quite complete as daughter Catherine was unavoidably committed elsewhere. However, Caroline’s daughter Georgia Morrison was able to take over the viola slot. Georgia was until recently leader of the National Youth Orchestra violas and is now studying at the Royal Academy of Music - another generation of this remarkably talented musical family.
But to the music. The Vanbrugh played with insight and evident
enjoyment Haydn’s “Bird” - his first quartet after 10 years silence
- and a major development of the genre. The quartet then moved on a
century to Rimsky-Korsakov’s Allegro from ”Les Vendredis” (so named
from the Friday gatherings at the house of the music publisher
Belyayev where Russian nationalist composers would often each
contribute a movement to a work). This occupied a mere nine minutes
and was the prelude to the Mozart quartet with Christopher now
leaving the Vanburgh to join his family’s ensemble. There was some
exquisite playing from all four musicians in this telling
performance.
An unexpected interlude was the world premiere of a short composition
specially written for the occasion by Rachel Lockwood on the tune
of “Happy Birthday” and played with gusto by all eight players
including Caroline’s elder daughter Bryony on the violin.
The celebrations over, The Vanbrugh resumed their place on the stage to give a delightful account of Beethoven’s first Rasumovsky quartet. It is in itself a most happy piece and one that that was particularly appropriate for this occasion.
Reviewer: Stanley Coward
Photographer: David James