RSNO, 14/02/2016

RSNO Chamber Series

Dvorak : Terzetto in C, Op. 74
Dvorak : String Quartet No. 12, Op. 96, "American"
Franck : Piano Quintet

Maya Iwabuchi, violin
Xander van Vliet, violin
Tom Dunn, viola
Aleksei Kiseliov, cello
Boris Giltburg, piano

As is increasingly common with orchestras, the players like to have the opportunity to work in smaller groups, which allows for the programming of chamber music concerts alongside their usual orchestral season.  The diversity can be astonishing - there are many options and combinations possible, after all - but the leaders of the string sections form a 'natural' quartet, so to speak, so this is one of the more habitual ensembles one finds.

The first piece on this afternoon's programme was unfamiliar to me, a Terzetto for two violins and viola by Dvorak, an odd combination which the programme note suggested might have been intended as the basis for a string quartet had Dvorak had a cellist to hand during composition.  As it is, the work was meant to be performed amongst friends, with the composer himself playing the viola.  I found I missed a bass-line to the music, and indeed only found it recognisable as Dvorak in the 3rd movement, a lively Scherzo full of characteristic cross-rhythms.  Tom Dunn's rich timbre was the backbone of this curiously wistful piece, given a sympathetic reading from the three players.

The "American" Quartet is an entirely different matter, instantly identifiable as Dvorak from the shimmering opening bars.  There is such an extraordinary wealth of melody in this work, it is small wonder that it is one of the most popular examples of the genre, and this quartet served it well, particularly effective in the slow movement, first the violin, then the cello eloquent in their melancholy song, over a gently rocking accompaniment from the others.

The principal attraction of this concert, for me, was, however, the Franck Quintet.  Too rarely heard, this is one of the masterpieces of the French Late Romantic period, an intensely passionate work that, at its creation, was judged rather sniffily (to say the least!) by Franck's friends and family, perhaps taken aback by the vehemence of the piece.  It demands complete and careful focus from the players, on top of the hefty technical requirements, and can slip into a sort of overblown self-indulgence, but there was no such problem here.

This was about as close to perfect as I ever expect to hear; balance between piano and quartet was ideal, with the ebb and surge back and forward impeccably judged.  Franck's piano writing tends towards the dense, but Giltburg's articulation, and the clarity of his tone kept the cascades of notes transparent without losing any warmth of sonority.  The cohesion of the work was brilliantly maintained, everything flowing smoothly and with unfaltering logic.  The quality of sound, from all parties, was outstanding, and the music glowed with the conviction and sincerity of the playing.  A glorious performance that will serve as a benchmark for a long time to come.

[Next : 18th February]