Little opportunity to sit back and relax
Apollon Musagete Quartet, Penarth Pier Pavilion
DANCE Rhythms were the inspiration for the music performed in this delightful seaside setting. Penarth Pier Pavilion is a splendid venue for chamber music concerts. Light floods in through the upper windows, while one can catch a glimpse of the sea and landmarks like Flat Holm through the small ground-level windows. It is the sort of place where one could delight in the music of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. But this concert was part of the Vale of Glamorgan Festival which is dedicated to the music of composers who are alive and well.
The opening piece, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Quartet No 3 Leaves of an unwritten diary, was a forceful, harddriven work which turned out to be the highlight of the evening. Described as a “roller-coaster ride of waltzes and gypsy meoldies” it was shot through with nervous energy and tension which rarely allowed the audience to rest. Instead, we were caught up it is unrelenting drive and constant changes in tempo and presentation of ideas. It ended quietly and with a vague and unsettling sense of sorrow. There was a controlled aggression, energy and commitment to the quartet’s account of the piece, with Piotr Szumiel, on viola,being particularly impressive.
The piece that ended the concert was John’s Book of Alleged Dances, by John Adams, which fused bluegrass, jazz and Latin sounds into an exhilarating 35-minute musical joyride. Like the Penderecki piece, this was a work that demanded constant concentration from the listener. Again, the audience was rarely given the opportunity to sit back and relax. John Adams has said that the dances are alleged because, “the steps for them have yet to be invented.” Perhaps that’s why one only occasionally felt like dancing while listening to the piece. It was nevertheless entertaining with the quartet enjoying themselves throughout, particularly in movements like “Rag the Bone” and “Habanara.”
Separating the Penderecki and the Adams was a five-minute piece called Multitude, devised by the members of the quartet. It was a strange work, as mysterious and murky as the sea which was lapping against Penarth Esplanade.
Peter Collins