High quality start to new Perth Chamber season
The historic St John’s Kirk, Perth had a particularly large audience for Perth Chamber Music’s first concert of the season
The reason for this? One of the world’s finest string quartets, the Brodsky Quartet, in masterpieces by Shostakovich, Beethoven and Borodin.
At only about 12 minutes, Shostakovich’s Seventh Quartet delivers powerful music. Shostakovich’s deepest personal characteristics were all brought out by the Brodsky Quartet who have already recorded two complete cycles of his quartets: his D S C H motto, mockery, ironic pizzicati, icy laments, rage and in the finale the ability to give profound unease through a quick waltz.
Beethoven in his final great Quartet in F Major Op135 followed.
His distinctive sound world was immediately established.
The irascible, but good humour, the idealised conversation of four strings, as viola player Paul Cassidy said, so inviting in the St John’s Kirk acoustic.
The scherzo was a woven marvel of intricate sound.
The variations, setting out as a hymn were played by the Brodsky Quartet with serenity and devotion, with just one variation hinting at Beethoven’s troubled life at the time.
This seemed to be looming in the great tragic utterance at the start of the Finale.
But No, this was Beethoven being funny as he collapsed into the silly story, gloriously warm tunes and affirmative final bars.
Totally different again was Borodin’s Quartet No2 its memorably popular tunes glowingly played.
The Brodsky Quartet put the music over with such feeling and finesse, in superbly blended quartet sound.
Colourfully Russian, the first violin and cello could have stood for Borodin and wife, dedicatee of the quartet.
Ear delighting was the speedy, intricate Scherzo, its end evoking audible sighs from the audience.
The gorgeous tunes again animated the slow movement.
Borodin’s unique choice for sound at the start of the Finale intrigued and led to a bright and vivacious Russian dance.
Responding to the thunderous, enthusiastic applause the Brodsky Quartet gave two encores, both by Shostakovich: first an Amoroso, arranged by the group’s viola Paul Cassidy and, to send the audience home happy, the distinctly jokey Polka.
The next concert should equal these musical heights and has tenor James Gilchrist singing Schubert’s Winterreise on November 14 at 7.30pm in St John’s Kirk. The Brodsky Quartet