SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Beethoven, Schubert, Jánaček, Shostakovich, Lacour and Reich: Barbirolli Quartet  and  Zephirus,  Wigmore Hall, London, 7.3.2008 (BBr)

Barbirolli Quartet:
Katie Stillman (violin), Rakhi Singh (violin), Ella Brinch (viola), Victoria Simonsen (cello)

Zephirus:
Amy Dickson (Soprano saxophone), Naomi Sullivan (Alto Saxophone), Hayley Lambert (tenor saxophone), Toby Kelly (baritone saxophone)

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in C minor, op.18/4 (1800)
Franz Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor, D703 (1820)
Leoš Jánaček: String Quartet No.1, Kreutzer Sonata (1923)
Dmitri Shostakovich:  Suite from The Age of Gold, op.22a (1919) (arranged for saxophone quartet by Hayley Lambert and Ed Puddick)
Guy Lacour: Quatour pour saxophones (1969)
Steve Reich: New York Counterpoint (1985) (arranged for saxophone quartet and pre-recorded tape by Susan Fletcher)


This recital is another in the monthly series Monday Platform, which features the best of young artists currently working in the UK, and what an interesting series it has been. Tonight we were introduced to two very different quartets, and what a repertoire there is for both.

The Barbirolli Quartet got the evening off to a fine start with a joyous performance of an early Beethoven quartet which, although in his favourite turbulent key of C minor, is full of the kind of high spirits which fill Haydn’s quartets. After this Stillman and Singh changed chairs for the other works and gave us a quicksilver performance of Schubert’s Quartettsatz. As light and frothy as Wolf’s Italian Serenade, this interpretation was full of Italianate warmth and good humour.

Their crowning achievement was a truly great performance of Jánaček’s 1^st Quartet. Based on Tolstoy’s novel of the same name,Kreutzer Sonata, in which  a man describes how he murdered his wife because he suspected her of having an affair, Jánaček fills the music with high passion, love, tenderness and, ultimately, violence. The four movements are terse and full of event, frighteningly difficult to play and disturbing to listen to. The members of the Barbirolli Quartet played for all they were worth, seeming to live the story in an effort to ensure that we understood the details – and the ultimate inequality of it all.

I often find myself complaining that performances lack a true pianissimo, but not with the Barbirollis. Their dynamic range was so wide that they had us sitting on the edges of our seats to hear their most intimate thoughts and being overwhelmed by their fortissimos. The Barbirolli Quartet is a magnificent ensemble which, tonight, displayed great understanding and insight into the music it was playing.

The saxophone quartet has a growing repertoire and, in the programme, we were told that Zephirus “…combine the best in twentieth century …repertoire with new music and inspired arrangements.” Unfortunately this wasn’t displayed in their half of the recital.

It’s always a problem when arranging an orchestral score for a small number of instruments and Shostakovich’s Age of Gold uses a large orchestra. This version of four pieces from the ballet, by tenor saxophonist Hayley Lambert and Ed Puddick, failed to satisfy because the textures were far too thick and the interpretation was pedestrian. The delightful Polka is a scream and when played straight, as written, it is very funny, because the music doesn’t know that it is humorous. Zephirus decided to ham it up and play it only for laughs. This was wrong. The performance continued with little dynamic variation and I was very surprised, towards the end of the final piece, to discover that this Adagio is, in fact, the second movement from the well known orchestral suite! It was unrecognizable.

Guy Lacour’s Quatour pour saxophones promised much but delivered little. The ideas were undistinguished and the working out pedestrian. The finale started with a marvelous, but brief, idea, which reminded me of the great Urban Sax, but Lacour failed to do anything with it.

Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint was written for solo clarinet accompanied by ten other clarinet and bass clarinet parts pre-recorded by the soloist. Arranging it for saxophone quartet with tape was a good idea but due to poor replay we were never allowed to hear the interplay between tape and live performers.

As there is more than sufficient original work for saxophone quartet I wonder why it was thought necessary to give us two, not particularly successful, arrangements (to be fair, it must be said that the sound problem in the Reich was not of Zephirus’ doing) when it would have done Zephirus a much better service to have played David Bedford’s Fridiof Kennings, Michael Ball’s Serenade for Seikilos, Nicola Lefanu’s Moon Over the Western Ridge, Mootwingee or even a version of Claude Vivier’s Pulau Dewata.

Zephirus is made up of four fine musicians but their programming needs looking at for, if tonight was an example of their usual planning, it leaves a lot to be desired. The players also displayed a lack of dynamic – everything was played at a steady mezzo forte, and above, and the dry tone became quite tiring. I suspect that people left the hall because the sound was, in general, unpleasant to the ear. The saxophone can really sing when it wants to but tonight we had precious little of this.

Bob Briggs


Back to Top                                                    Cumulative Index Page