Energetic ensemble served up

As news spreads of the quality of the Horsecross Lunchtime Concerts and the quality of their musician guests, audiences turn up in increasingly large, and satisfied, numbers.

This was the case this month, for the high-value concert of the

Scottish Ensemble in Octets by Mendelssohn and Enescu in Perth Concert Hall.

Norwegian violinist guest-director Marianne Thorsen allowed colleagues more prominence than some in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet of warmth and clarity. The development gained excitement in its clash of rhythms and melodies.

The gentle barcarolle of the second movement had richness in its harmonies.

Delicacy and refinement allied to a good turn of speed hallmarked the Scherzo, bringing smiles to both audience and players.

The vivid finale had true excitement, and power too in the crescendoing rhythmic unisons, ending with resplendent chords.

Enescu’s Octet came into a much more complicated musical world 75 years later, in 1900.

Everything was much more coloured and harmonically denser and spicier. Yet it all came from that first tune announced by six players over the throbbing bass of the two cellos. If the first violin has almost a solo part in the Mendelssohn, Enescu gives prominence to both violin and viola, Jane Atkins a star here.

The second movement, marked in French Very ardent, was a pun too, on Fugue, beginning spikily and with great energy and its centre rushing with amazing, almost suicidal, rhythm.

Whirling it mixed near catastrophe with lyricism, subsiding to that tune again, transformed over warm low harmonies for the third movement. Its sweetness turned delirious, then calmed.

Turning next to agitation and the most virtuoso writing as it became the fast waltz of the Finale.

This was played with brilliance by the Scottish Ensemble careering towards frenzy, then the final crunchy chords.