Bournemouth Chamber Music Society, Talbot Heath School
THE wonderful Wihan String Quartet, partnered by gifted pianist Martin Kassik, brought two outstanding piano quintets to the BCMS.
Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major has a vitality and an abundance of themes and in the performance here, with Leos Cepicky and Jan Schulmeister, violins, Jiri Zigmund, viola and Ales Kasprik, cello, projecting all of its ebullience.
The second movement's creepy march mode was temporarily relived of sombre pulse by Kassik's agile piano part. Full of melody and strongly characterised, the ensemble's impulsive and compelling accounts of the Scherzo and final Allegro, all judiciously balanced, made a joyous impression.
A hard act to follow, but Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A. Opus 81 has its measure. The opening cello song gives way to quicker rhythms and the ensemble's volant voicing was only disturbed by some rather pernickety re-tuning, especially from Schulmeister, between movements. However the playing was as sweet, stirring and idiomatically accomplished as one could wish for.
Remarkably un-Mozartian, his Adagio and Fugue in C minor takes solemnity to a dour level though the subsequent fugue showed the composer's adept configurations with clarity if lacking in Bach's uplifting spirit. The encore, gently approached, was the Andante from Brahms' Piano Quintet.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article