Sadly I used to be unable to be there in particular person, however caught the stream on the Wigmore’s web site – their streaming of concert events that started throughout Covid appears to have turn out to be a everlasting factor – and the live performance can be obtainable on BBC Sounds: I’d strongly advocate taking a look.
Brahms’s meaty third Piano Quartet was impressed by Goethe’s The Sorrows of Younger Werther and likewise maybe by the younger composer’s complicated relationship with Robert and Clara Schumann. Its rhetoric is forceful, not least within the scherzo, with Trpčeski as muscular right here as he was mild within the sluggish motion – after which thunderous within the double octaves of the finale. Violist Sorin Spasinovici was authoritative in his moments within the highlight, and cellist Alexander Somov sang out his sluggish motion theme exquisitely.
The group labored as an actual collective, with none sense of Trpčeski (pictured above) – undoubtedly the ‘large title’ – being the frontman. Their taking part in was characterful and big-hearted, the music acquainted, paving the way in which for some novelty.
Pande Shahov – not a reputation I knew – is a Macedonian-born London resident who has made in depth preparations of his native folks music for this group of gamers, for whom he additionally wrote his Quintet. This noticed the viola changed with clarinet and percussion (primarily vibraphone) and the clarinet writing owed one thing to Messiaen’s Quartet for the Finish of Time, particularly within the sluggish second motion, superbly performed by Hidan Mamudov. However for a lot of the piece the vibraphone felt like an outsider to the remainder of the group, each musically and timbrally. It got here collectively higher within the buzzing, scurrying finale, which raced to a helter-skelter finish, Vlatko Nushev’s vibes mallets flying.
I’ve lengthy been a dedicated admirer and advocate of Guillaume Connesson (b. 1970), who’s broadly carried out in Europe and the US however nearly fully neglected within the UK. The Divertimento is a wonderful introduction to his music – though as the unique model was written in 1998 a variety of ink has flowed by his pen since then. It exhibits his ability in instrumental scoring, his melodic sensibility and his capacity to entertain.
The Divertimento is an association by percussionist Vlatko Nushev (pictured above) of Connesson’s Sextet, devoted to the unique for probably the most half however including a busy percussion half, each tuned and untuned, that feels completely in line with Connesson’s authentic conception.
The primary motion owes lots (and avowedly so) to John Adams. The percussion takes on a lot of the unique oboe line, however now on marimba or xylophone, giving it a very totally different color. The martial snare drum provides a complete different component – not least within the big-top tattoo that counted within the finale (Nushev’s personal addition). The Ravelian sluggish motion is the attractive coronary heart of the piece, and right here the percussion was all about deepening the nocturnal environment, by quiet bass drum booms, swelling suspended cymbal and delicate glockenspiel underpinning Mamudov’s endlessly spun-out clarinet melody. (The occasional intonation insecurities within the clarinet have been the one shortcomings of the entire efficiency.) The final motion exhibits Connesson because the inheritor to Poulenc: witty, quirky and joyous, with an excellent punchline ending.
Trpčski was comfortable to take a seat again within the texture together with his minimalist figuration and let the others paved the way – once more Spasinovici was on the centre of issues – however the hero, each as arranger and hyperactive performer, was Vlatko Nushev. His association was as spectacular as his belted beard, and if it might result in wider recognition of Connesson’s fantastic music on this nation, a lot the higher.
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