The Adderbury Ensemble is one of the finest chamber orchestras
in the country, and it is a tribute to their discipline that they make
the night's performance seem effortless. A note is never out of place
and the musicians' movements seem almost superflous to the great music
that is being channeled through their instruments - They perform with
panache, in a clear state of flow.
The night begins with Mozart's String Quartet in B flat, K458, the fourth
part of the composer's "long and laborous" creation of a set
of six string quartets. K458 is the most relaxed of the quartets, and
its simple joy is captured beautifully by the superb violinists. In this
performance the adagio resonated with especial power; after the noble
economy of the opening, the work subdues into gently nuanced and impish
harmonies, which sound fresh and alive through the focused playing of
the Ensemble.
There follows Schubert's String Quintet in C, D956. This was the more
powerful section of the concert, with Schubert's stimulating contrast
between violin and cello captured dramatically by the Ensemble. The imagination
is led perfectly by the delicate movement between keys, and the second
movement creates an effortless peace which is broken suddenly by the introduction
of a sharp F minor.
Schubert's last work is performed with dedication by the musicians, and
though their personal collaboration can obviously not be seen in content,
it can be felt in the energy that they bring to the music; in the final
stages, when the atmosphere becomes more frantic and the D flat falls
to C, the music is imbued with a passionate quality that can only be found
in a performance by one of the country's finest chamber orchestras.
The concert is excellent from start to finish, and the music is made cathartic,
energetic, fresh and joyful by the performance of the musicians. As a
person who has never before been passionate about classical music I expected
to be bored, but left refreshed. If Mozart was there, inexplicably brought
back to life through the dignified performance of his most tortuously-created
quartets, I'm sure he would have been clapping as loudly as everyone else
as the concert drew to a close.
Jason Theodorou, 13.8.4
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