wyvern:extra
A Gala evening with the Stanford
String Quartet
Lakeside Theatre
Sunday 18 June
Review by Vivienne Kuphal
There is something very civilised and perfect about string
quartets, and a sparkling salmon reception on a balmy warm summer evening
set the scene for a most convivial occasion.
The Stanford String Quartet play at the University regularly. They
consist of Laura, Eleanor (both on violin) and Amy Stanford (on viola),
and Jessica Cox (on cello). Jessica studied at Colchester Institute before
going on to the Royal Academy of Music where she met the Stanford sisters
and the quartet was formed.
The concert opened with Haydn’s Sunrise. This is one of his most
famous string quartets, and he teases us with a typically slow
introduction with warm chords and a figure which is passed from one
instrument to another throughout the movement. One senses that after the
leisurely feel of an early sunrise, the day gets much busier as the
movement progresses. The ensemble of these musicians is very impressive,
with all of their phrasing matching perfectly. One can see how well the
players communicate - this was superbly demonstrated in the slow movement.
The Menuet and Trio was lively, spirited and stylishly played, conjuring
up images of an eighteenth century ballroom scene. A Scottish folk
influence could be sensed, but a drone interrupted this vision. The Finale
continued the folk theme and was played very lightly at first, until a
furious fugue developed.
The quartet ably demonstrated their ability to play music of many
different styles and we were transported to the jazz-era, with a
performance of Gershwin’s Anything Goes. The Stephane Grapelli-style
introduction and rhythmical pizzicato had feet tapping and was followed by
an arrangement of Scarborough Fair, based on that of Simon and Garfunkel.
The final 'lollipop' was Gade’s Jealousy Tango - the elegant
performance complementing the style of the music.
The final piece of the evening was Stanford’s String Quartet No. 5 in B
flat. His music has an English pastoral feel to it. This work was lyrical
from the start but also quite strident at times. It’s quite complex and
unpredictable, and in the second movement the accuracy of the running
passages was impressive - it seemed like upper and lower strings were
almost holding a conversation with answering parts. In contrast, the third
movement was much more aggressive at first, but gradually became less
spiky and more lyrical, ending quietly. The final movement returned to a
pastoral mood with a rhythmical fugue in the middle section with exciting
interplay between the parts. Gradually the movement wound down to a more
simple texture ending with soft high chords. The evening was rounded off
with a lively gypsy style encore of Dark Eyes.
These talented musicians gave us a very enjoyable and worthwhile
evening, raising £500 for the Essex Air Ambulance.
Gala evening organisers Dilly Meyer (left) and Mary Hignell present a
cheque for £500 to the crew of the Essex Air Ambulance
See also:
