Musica Viva has found a winning format for Strike A Chord. A significant element of this national chamber music competition for high school students is a mentorship program initiated by Wilma Smith, renowned violinist, educator and member of the Flinders Quartet. Following an intensive week of rehearsals, the 2021 winners of the Flinders Quartet Mentorship Prize and Sutherland Trio Mentorship Prize performed with their mentors to both a live audience at Athenæum 2 and online via Australian Digital Concert Hall.
The live audience might have been small on a chilly Melbourne evening but it was heartening to know that, thanks to ADCH, there was a wide audience out there enjoying the outstanding performances of these talented young musicians and their mentors.
Piruli Quartet from South Australia began Concert 1 with String Quartet Op. 64, No. 4 by Haydn – a composer chosen by Flinders Quartet but an opus chosen by Piruli members. Their playing of the opening Allegro con brio was true to the vitality indicated by its description, with first violinist Jasmine Milton confidently leading the way. There was more “Sturm und Drang” in the final Presto, however, than Haydn, the performers and the audience could ever have anticipated; a series of deafening explosions finally brought the movement to a halt, but the composure of the young quartet was simply amazing as they continued to play through the initial barrage of a dying sound desk while some of us wondered whether we should be hiding under our seats in case the roof collapsed. With order (and the sound system) finally restored, Piruli Quartet continued undeterred and with the sense of ensemble that had originally afforded them this opportunity.
Minus the external drama that could have unnerved even seasoned players, Flinders Quartet gave an exemplary performance of Brahms’ String Quartet No. 1. Immediately striking for its enveloping warmth and robust sonority in the first movement, the Quartet continued as a balanced entity, sometimes tender, often passionate, always well-defined, passing around musical ideas conversationally for the third movement and investing the final Allegro with terrific energy. It was a joy to hear this finely wrought music so superbly rendered.
Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Octet, Op. 11 formed the icing on this delectable musical layer cake. While FQ’s first violin, Thibaud Pavlovic-Hobba, and viola, Helen Ireland, performed a greater soloistic role in the short Prelude, Piruli violinist Hanuelle Lovell also featured in this Adagio with some very lovely playing. FQ’s cellist, Zoe Knighton, spoke about what fun it had been working with the young musicians. The Scherzo graphically illustrated this point as Piruli cellist Caleb Christian simply beamed with pleasure as he and Knighton shared the thrill of Shostakovich’s high energy Piece. It was the perfect choice – one that provided huge enjoyment for players and audience alike.
Further appetising layers were included in the second concert. In addition to works by Beethoven, Lili Boulanger, Brahms and American composer Kenji Bunch (note the presence of one female composer in this lot), three short works commissioned by Sutherland Trio were included. Even the Beethoven piece, Variation on Wenzel Müller’s song Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu for Piano Trio, Op. 121a, was not your customary chamber music recital fare. Played by Sutherland Trio, it began the concert on a light-hearted note, and each player had a chance to display her virtuosic credentials throughout variations of contrasting moods. Composed for Sutherland Trio, Huangkai Lai’s Inside the Whale tells the story of a man who tries to survive after being swallowed by a whale. It began with a Caroline Almonte reaching inside the piano’s cavity to sweep the lower strings. Fragments of sound from violin and cello quickly followed – moments of dissonance and spikey exclamations reflecting the victim’s anxiety – and the piano effectively evoked the swell of the waves and rippling waters. After sudden shifts between dreamy mystical and angular dissonant, the work closed with an abrupt dynamic change to end very quietly.
Amogus Trio played Boulanger’s Matin de Printemps with the flair that had made them the overall prize winners of the 2021 competition. They captured the vitality of Spring with technical assurance and a coherent sense of ensemble. In his program note for “A theme based on Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night”, Anton Pokryshevsky wrote, “I am privileged to have this piece selected to be performed by the Amogus Trio”, a sentiment that reflected the positivity and sense of collaboration felt by all of those involved in this project. Strongly influenced by the musical language of Astor Piazzolla, he used “extensions of harmony and different melodic themes to recreate the powerful imagery and music of the book”. The Trio conveyed the changing moods and emotional intensity of the piece, energised by its syncopation and rhythmic shifts.
Sutherland Trio had chosen Amogus Trio “for their insightful and sophisticated artistry”, and these qualities were further demonstrated in their performance of Brahms’ Piano Trio No.1, Allegro con brio. Joshua Jones played the extended opening cello solo with sensitive warmth and was joined by a vibrant Lily Stephens on violin and pianist Jeremy Sun – always a passionate and physically involved player.
Following a colourful performance of Kenji Bunch’s Intersections (1998), with its jazzy depiction of a bustling New York City streetscape, complete with blaring horns and sleazy alleyways, Amogus Trio was joined by their mentors for the third premiere performance of the evening. Written for this sextet, Alice Humphries’ On the Outside, Looking In is intended as the beginning of a longer work. The program notes describe it as exploring “the inclusive and exclusive through different grouping or pairs of instruments – ensembles within an ensemble”. It encompasses elements of minimalism and is full of musical interest that was skillfully realised by all players. The concert ended on the final echoing piano note, leaving everybody who heard this exciting “beginning” eager to hear the finished product. We are also keen to hear more from these young musicians and all composers, who were there to hear their works performed, and took a well-deserved bow. In her words of thanks, Sutherland Trio violinist Elizabeth Sellars particularly acknowledged the contribution of Doug Hooley for his philanthropy in support of this project.
The 2022 edition of Musica Viva’s National Chamber Music Championship has been in progress for some time now, with 119 groups (445 students) entering this year, and the finalists have been announced. Tickets are currently available for the Grand Final at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday, August 27. It will be another uplifting treat to see the future of classical chamber music showcased in such a nurturing way.
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Heather Leviston reviewed Musica Viva’s Strike A Chord Winners’ Celebration concerts held at Athenæum 2 on August 9, 2022.
