Flinders Quartet – Intimate Letters

The title for Flinders Quartet’s latest concert, Intimate Letters, came from Janacek’s String quartet no.2 – so it was fitting that this work introduced the program. The choice of works inspired by personal letters gave them an extraordinary intimacy that, in every case, had been fully exploited by each of the composers and arrangers. Flinders Quartet is known for its closeness and empathy between players and this was highlighted throughout the program. Although they faced a number of demanding scores, each player was constantly in touch with the others, so that the musicality was everything the composers could have hoped for. Not that you get a sense of Janacek’s passion being for the performance, but rather for the creation of his Intimate Letters, with the music drawn from no less than 700 letters he wrote to his muse, Kamila. It made no difference that the woman, 38 years his junior, gave the aging composer no encouragement; for the last 11 years of his life an abundance of music (and the letters) were all for her. Although the subject matter of the letters Janacek chose for this quartet edged on the bizarre (notably the adagio, envisaging the birth of ‘their’ son), Flinders Quartet played with great respect for the music. In the first movement (the lovers’ meeting) the viola was more prominent than usual, giving a warmth to the sound, against the plaintive cello and an underlying tension. This pattern dominated the work, with the occasional change of mood – to dreaminess or the rhythms of a dance. The players were faithful to whatever Janacek wanted to express, with no sense of irony or comment, right through to the slow, sad waltz and questioning last note. This was not only an intelligent reading of the score – it made for wonderful listening. The next work was something of a relief, however, especially as three familiar elements combined to join the Quartet. The Curly Pyjama Letters were written by Michael Leunig and were sympathetically put to music by fellow Australian, Calvin Bowman. Inviting Vince Jones to voice the letters was the final inspired touch, as the jazz crooner conveyed great feeling for the poetry and humour of the work. Bowman (who was in the audience) must have been delighted with Jones’ performance but also of Flinders Quartet. The musicians obliged with ‘ancient music’ (some like a hornpipe), music for butterflies, ‘steady plodding’ with a lovely violin heard again in ‘Miracle’, swirling, the whimsical music of ‘Friends like Fronds’ to the harmony and elegiac sound, edged with melancholy, of the last letter, ‘Autumn Has Come’. I felt as if I was in some kind of thrall, such was the magic created by words, music and performance. It was a mood that was recreated, albeit with a sharper edge, in the second half of the concert featuring selections from The Juliet Letters. Here, even more talent was added: the music of Elvis Costello (for words by Declan McManus and others) with Vince Jones himself contributing three original songs, arranged by local musicians headed by Joe Chindamo. The concept was complex, but it worked as a ‘dialogue’ between Jones and the Quartet. I would need twice as many words to do justice to this performance and, while it may seem a cop-out, I will hardly try to convey something that could only be appreciated by experiencing it. Jones’ songs and ‘The Juliet Letters’ made you think, share the passion, and feel drawn in to the core of the performance. In large part, this was thanks to the empathy between singer and instrumentalists, and as a reviewer I believe they carried it off perfectly. Five stars. Rating: 5 stars out of 5 Intimate Letters Flinders Quartet Melbourne Recital Centre March 19