The Joy of Music Festival 2012
Hong Kong City Hall
Concert Hall
Thursday (11 October 2012 )
My second evening at this marvellous music
festival in Hong
Kong
involves only string music, hence its title A
Cascade of Strings. It is performed by the ensemble in residence, a string
quartet formed by members of the London Chamber Orchestra. Its leader is
violinist Andrew Haveron, the Concertmaster of The Philharmonia Orchestra, and
had served as Guest Concertmaster of the Singapore Symphony earlier this year
in its concert performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio.
He is also a confident and rather informal
speaker, introducing each of the works in the programme in a totally
approachable and effable manner. This concert, he explained, was an exploration
of four great composers (whose surnames all happen to start with the letter B)
in their early attempts at the string quartet form. It began with Benjamin
Britten’s Three Divertimenti,
composed in 1933, essentially wood shavings from a master’s work bench. A March, a Waltz and a Burlesque,
each coloured with his typically dissonant, vigorous and sometimes humourous
style. The variety of colours and shades, quirky shifts of dynamics, all came
across in this breezy performance like a refreshing rush of mint to the palate.
Then came Beethoven with his first numbered
quartet in F major (Op.18 No.1), introducing a major voice to the genre. The
opening unison theme was delivered with an arresting and assertive demeanour,
contrasted with the poignant and suitably sepulchral mood of the slow movement,
described by the composer as Romeo and Juliet at the crypt. Here the build-up
to its impassioned climax was totally moving one, with the silences between the
notes playing as important a part as the notes themselves.
After that catharsis, the following movements
were as light as feathers. Split second timing was still required in the brisk
third movement, which could have been a Scherzo
in the early symphonies and the upbeat spirit of the finale was totally
disarming. Its rondo-like theme was a fast trickle of notes answered by three
emphatic beats, typically Ludwig, was dispatched with an equally lusty fervour.
Its earthiness was encapsulated in violist Joel Hunter’s infectious
head-nodding and foot-stamping, which was quaint in a way, something more akin
to a drummer in a rock band. More importantly, the quartet responded with a
verve which showed that they love this music.
By this time, I had abandoned the idea of
sitting in the stalls, instead making my way to the stage, placing myself
within sniffing distance of the quartet. This arrangement was becoming my own
private Ezterhaza, enjoying my private string quartet playing after-dinner
divertissements for my own personal enjoyment. There should be no apologies for
that!
The second half opened with violinists Haveron
and Magnus Johnston only, to play a selection from the 44 Violin Duos by Bela Bartok. For the sake of variety, they chose not
only from the first book, but a smattering from all the books, working from
simple harmonies to more sophisticated and complex pieces. The first Teasing Song was simple enough for
beginners, and the successive pieces became more and more interesting. The
buzzing Mosquito Dance was certainly
a first cousin to The Diary of a Fly
from Mikrokosmos for the piano. The
dances come from different lands of Eastern Europe , using the folk songs
and dances of Hungary Slovakia Transylvania and Ruthenia . The Ruthenian Dance sounded just like those
gypsy pieces, while the number called Bagpipes
predictably had the drones. When we reached Pizzicato,
we were already in the territory of Bartok
The evening closed with Brahms Second String Quartet in A minor (Op.51
No.2), a slightly more congenial piece than the originally programmed work, its
predecessor in C minor. The overall tone of the work was more relaxed, but it
still conveyed an element of tragedy with a muted tension and bittersweet
melodies. The quartet brought out these qualities well, contrasted with the
serenity of the slow movement and the busy scurrying in the third movement, not
a true scherzo in the usual sense of the word. Like in the Beethoven, the
finale was a swinging and energised dance, a Hungarian rondo delivered with
searing intensity and great rhythmic precision.
The quartet, completed by French cellist Pierre
Doumenge, has been a great asset to the festival. Although sounding like a
group that has been playing together for the last thirty years, I was surprised
to learn that the four musicians only assemble as an ensemble while in Hong Kong , contrary to their London
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