8 June 2007
The Allegri Quartet
Schubert Quartet Op 125 No1 in Eflat
Nielson "At the Bier of a Young Artist"
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K581 in major (with James Campbell)
The Quartet changed the order of the first two pieces, perhaps wisely, as the Nielson might have proved a rather sorrowful way to go into the Interval. "At The Bier of A Young Artist" was composed in memory of Oluf Hartmann. It certainly sounded grief-stricken, but in this rendition there was perhaps some hint of grief assuaged or sence of acceptance to mitigate the sorrow. Only a short piece, the long silence before the applause spoke volumes for the effect the music had on us.
An early piece, written shortly after Schubert left boarding school, this is sunny and good humoured - perfect music for a summer evening. It gave a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the wonderful tone of the present first violin, Ofer Falk, and the beautiful blended sound the Allegri can produce. The braying donkey mentioned in the programme notes seemed entirely apposite when we had arrived for the concert amid the baa-ing of the local sheep!
The Allegri were joined in the second half by the clarinettist James Campbell, whose liquid, lyrical tone is well-known to regulars at the Festival - indeed, he commented (amid reminiscent nods from the audience) that he first played this Mozart Quintet at Llanfyllin some fifteen or more years ago!
Some Clarinetists place themselves prominently at one side or the other of the quartet - James Campbell places himself in the middle, where he can interact with every other musician with equal facility. We could see him doing so, and so this lovely work was presented afresh, by musicians who seemed to enjoy themselves at least as much as we did.
Rachel Wright
Committee Member