12 July 2008
The Allegri String Quartet
St Myllin's Church
Debussy: Danses sacreé et profane
Mendelssohn: Quartet No 1 in E flat major
Faure: Impromptu
Caplet: Conte fantastique
With Ieuan Jones (harp), Mavis Nicholson (narrator)
We were back in St Myllin's Church for the final concert of the 2009 Festival, which has been very well attended throughout the week - a good sign for the future.
The programme consisted primarily of French repertoire and involved local harpist and celebrity Ieuan Jones. We were afforded ample opportunity to hear the difference made to the textures available by the presence of the harp. The liquid, shimmering sound cast its own glamour over the audience. The concert began with the Debussy, a relatively familiar piece from radio performances, but an altogether different experience in live performance. There were some faintly chinoiserie moments which added to the variety of the sound, and the five performers seemed to be really enjoying themselves.
In the Mendelssohn Quartet, we were back in perhaps more familiar territory, with the Quartet intense, dramatic, scampering and lyrical by turns. A vivid and engaging performance!
The second half began with a solo from Ieuan Jones, who introduced it by telling us that he first came the Festival as a child many years ago, to hear harpist Marisa Robles perform with the Allegri of that time - surely an inspiring moment! He also told us this evening's programme included three of the best pieces in the harp repertoire. Certainly the Impromptu gave us a good impression of the variety of sounds that can be produced and the virtuosity necessary to do so.
The mood abruptly changed for the Caplet, in which Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death was narrated by Mavis Nicholson. A horror story, the six performers certainly created a chilling, tumultuous atmosphere as they brought the Festival to a close.
Rachel Wright
Committee Member