Sounds exotic
Garth Wilshere
New Zealand String Quartet and Richard Mapp (piano), Wellington Chamber Music Society, Illott Theatre 20 June 2010, reviewed by Garth Wilshere.
THIS was another successful Sunday afternoon chamber music concert.
The New Zealand String Quartet beguiled us with Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major, K575 (Prussian).
This was Mozart in sunny disposition, ideal for a wintry afternoon.
The excellent ensemble has a cohesive balance that has grown in recent years, they gave a lovely reading of this work.
The second offering was intriguing. Spiral III by Cambodian born, now United States resident, Chinary Ung, brought hints of Native American and Cambodian folk themes into an amalgam of small, shifting musical shapes. The soundscape was spare and delicate with spiralling rhythms and a hint of the different and exotic. It challenged our senses more than our ears and was worth the effort.
The other big work on the programme was certainly worth the wait.
Schumann’s Piano Quintet written for his pianist wife Clara, (Although as she was ill and Mendelssohn played at its first performance).
This was a strong and rich performance driven and guided by pianist Richard Mapp’s authoritative playing. There was excellent interplay and ensemble between strings and piano, and the balances were ideal in what was a loving and warmly enjoyable performance. The good integration of the players suggested that they should investigate further piano quintet repertoire as they seem most suited to each other.
THIS was another successful Sunday afternoon chamber music concert.
The New Zealand String Quartet beguiled us with Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major, K575 (Prussian).
This was Mozart in sunny disposition, ideal for a wintry afternoon.
The excellent ensemble has a cohesive balance that has grown in recent years, they gave a lovely reading of this work.
The second offering was intriguing. Spiral III by Cambodian born, now United States resident, Chinary Ung, brought hints of Native American and Cambodian folk themes into an amalgam of small, shifting musical shapes. The soundscape was spare and delicate with spiralling rhythms and a hint of the different and exotic. It challenged our senses more than our ears and was worth the effort.
The other big work on the programme was certainly worth the wait.
Schumann’s Piano Quintet written for his pianist wife Clara, (Although as she was ill and Mendelssohn played at its first performance).
This was a strong and rich performance driven and guided by pianist Richard Mapp’s authoritative playing. There was excellent interplay and ensemble between strings and piano, and the balances were ideal in what was a loving and warmly enjoyable performance. The good integration of the players suggested that they should investigate further piano quintet repertoire as they seem most suited to each other.
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