Young Composers, Young Artists Concert 11 August

Tuckamore Festival

Saturday 11 August 2018

Young Composers

followed by

Young Artists at Play

As Andrew Staniland remarked  in introducing the three young composers, this is the seventh consecutive Festival to feature young composers. During an intensive week of coaching, the composers hone their skills through discussions, exercises, and the creation of a new work that is performed by Young Artists, once in the opening concert, and a second time ( a rare occasion for new works) in the context of the first evening concert by Young Artists.

Rondette for violin, violincello and piano was briefly presented by the composer Leslie Opatril, who focussed on her neologism of “rondette”, pointing to the miniature nature of her work compared with the traditional rondo form. The trio of Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud violin, Connor Cornick ‘cello, and Stephen Eckert piano clearly enjoyed performing this rondette, attacking the opening bars with gusto, punctuated with some of the most enthusiastic pizzicato I have witnessed. Their ensemble playing was very enjoyable, sparked by some virtuosic passages where each instrument briefly held the limelight.

Small Museum for Piano Trio was given a more lengthy introduction by its composer James Lowrie. He offered some details about the inspiration for the work – a visit to the Museum of Civilsation In Marseilles – and then invited the trio to play a couple of themes for the audience to listen for. The striking architecture of the exterior of the Musem was contrasted with the two small rooms on the inside. The work follows the composer’s movements as he explores the two rooms and his passage, back and forth, between them. The emphasis is on space, and Lowrie’s minimalist approach, while not programmatic, certainly gave that sense of uninhabited roominess. Raina Saunders violin, Charlotte Tyhurst ‘cello, and Iris Hung piano responded in excellent fashion to the demands of the work. The top five notes of the piano had their strings deadened by a pad weighted with an encyclopedia; strings were required in accompanying passages to play lightly, close to the bridge, to produce an ethereal, almost soundless effect. An intriguing and most enjoyable performance.

Cavansite for Violin, ‘Cello and Piano was introduced by composer by Michael Maevsky who explained that his inspiration came from viewing a crystal of Cavansite in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The striking blue mineral was displayed on a dull grey plinth, and the contrast of beauty and dullness led to Maevsky’s exploration of the dialectic between the two. Joelle Pinto violin, Martin Roberts ‘cello, and Mado Christie piano responded to the technical challenges of the work, which opens with what Maevsky described as “the death knock”, the pianist being required to play accelerating rthyms on a low note while deadening the sound as she holds on to the string inside the casing. Strings are not spared; they have in the opening bars, to create a grinding sound by exerting maximum pressure via the bow. Ugliness and beauty answer back and forth, with beauty winning out in some fine lyrical passages for all three instruments.

These three short works, presented in a quasi-laboratory test-run setting, then got a proper baptism in the Young Artists at Play concert, where they were set in the context of recognized giants of chamber music..

Opening the concert was Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No 1 in C minor, Op.15. Fauré was in his mid-30s when he composed this piece, a period marked by distress at his engagement to a long sought-after woman being terminated. The first movement presented by Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud, violin, Amélie Roberts, viola, Connor Cornick, ‘cello, and Stephen Eckert, piano had all the hallmarks of a professional quartet that has been together for years. Their control and communication, especially in the ritenuto passages, was superb. The lush texture of Fauré’s score then provided a suitable backdrop to Leslie Opatril’s Rondette, whose structure became clearer on second hearing.

Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G minor, op.57 was the next offering. Russia had joined the Second World War shortly after Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939. This quintet was created in the summer of 1940, and was first performed in Moscow in September of that year with Shostakovich himself at the piano. It is a work of creative maturity, and despite some neo-classical attributes, it is firmly within the 20^th century mode. Josh Bath and Janine Noorloos, violins, Paige Bursey viola, Maggie Kerr, ‘cello, and Minae Masui, piano gave a wonderful performance, matching the composer’s demands with great aplomb. I would have liked a little more panache from the viola in the ensemble sections, but her solo renditions were admirable. Again, the placing of the Young Composer’s Small Museum for Piano Trio by James Lowrie was an astute piece of programming, fitting in very well after the Shostakovich.

The first half of the program was rounded out by the Brahms’ Trio in B Major (minor in the program, a rare slip), op.8, was completed in 1854 when the composer was tweny years old. Raina Saunders, violin, Charlotte Tyhurst, ‘cello, and Iris Hung, who had just performed the Small Museum piece, switched effortlessly to Brahms’ Romantic styling, imbuing the music with freshness and lyrical poise. Only the first movement of this long (40 minutes) work, but it was a delight!

After a short intermission, the concert continued with the second performance of Cavansite. The choreography required between pianist and page-turner while the former is dealing with the “death knock” was more elegantly performed in this iteration (probably not a manoeuvre dealt with in music schools), and the whole performance seemed more relaxed than the first time round. Or was that my reaction as the piece became more familiar?

César Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor was next. Composed in 1879, the work marks a return to chamber music by the composer after a gap of forty years. Reactions were mixed at the first performance. Camille Saint-Saëns, performing the piano part (the work was dedicated to him), left the stage abruptly at the end, leaving the music behind.  “Félicité Franck, knowing that the source of inspiration for the Quintet was her husband’s infatuation with an attractive and talented composition student, Augusta Holmés, professed a lifelong aversion to the piece.” (I have lifted that quotation from the Edmonton Chamber Music Society’s notes June 21, 2009) This work was the most reflective piece of the evening. Performed by Maria Elena Vigna Sanchez and Rhiannon Carter, violins, Geena Salway, viola, Christopher Chan, ‘cello, and Boyana Makedonska, piano, the ensemble play was magnificent. The lento tempo was sustained, but always forward-moving, while the composer’s demand con molto sentimento came through the rich texture of the writing.

The final work of the evening saw the return of the trio of Pinto, Roberts and Christie from Cavansite to perform Schubert’s Trio in B flat, D.898. Composed largely in 1827, and finished in 1828 (the year of his death) the work combines all the elements of Romantic music – long, lyrical lines, clear themes, passion and reflection – the whole setting forth the composer’s signature: this is Schubert. A top notch performance by a very gifted trio of performers.

A final note. The magic of Tuckamore brings together young artists from various countries and diverse backgrounds, yet in one short week these groups have been formed (by choice or inspired selection?) and have melded to create wonderful ensembles whose sum is greater than their parts. They have one more week to further hone those skills. And I have one wish: full houses for their lunchtime concerts at the Kirk on Wednesday and Thursday, and their Festival Finale next Sunday, 19^th August.

Tony Chadwick