Ensemble na Mara
26th February 2010
| Beethoven | String Trio in C minor Op 9 No 3. |
| Salter | Piano Quartet. |
| Fauré | Piano Quartet No 1 in C minor Op 15. |
For the February concert the Ensemble na Mara, a group of young musicians, brought with it a breath of fresh air and a wide-ranging programme in time and style. The Ensemble was formed in 2003 with a remit for contemporary music as well as the classical repertoire. Since that time they have gone from strength to strength with tours in Europe and North America.
This
evening they played a piano quartet they had commissioned in 2006
from Timothy Salter. He is a busy musician, composer and pianist who
has written a good deal as well as directing the Ionian Singers and
teaching at the Royal College of Music. He wrote the quartet to
answer his question: can three different strings blend with a piano
or should it be more like a piano trio? He believes the answer
proves to be that the music should flow between various groupings.
But first the concert opened with Beethoven’s string trio, a passionate work which, it has been noted, is such that it has the power of a quartet, a form to which he was soon to move. This makes it very challenging for the players though one might not have realised this given the apparent ease and panache the Ensemble brought to it. They then turned to the new work with its effective use of pizzicato and harmonics.
To complete the advertised programme the quartet moved from this sometimes bleak atonal landscape to the warmth of the Faure, a work that is emotionally intense yet classically elegant, delicate in subtlety.
And there was an encore to come -- the slow movement of the Brahms C minor piano quartet. As with the other pieces, the four played with astonishing assurance and maturity.
It is worth mentioning that each member introduced a musical item. They were informal, informative and witty, creating a close bond with the audience and taking the starch out of classical music presentation. A welcome innovation by a laid back but thoroughly professional and talented group of musicians.
Reviewer: Stanley Coward
Photographer: David James