Bruch Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano Nos 2, 4, 5 & 6; Jörg Widmann Fantasie; György Kurtág Hommage à Robert Schumann; Mozart Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano in E-flat major, ‘Kegelstatt’: Antoine Tamestit viola; Jörg Widmann clarinet; Frank Braley piano
This was a really lovely chamber music concert, at lunchtime in LSO St Lukes. It was memorable for several reasons:
1. Though ambience isn’t everything. LSO St Lukes is an impressive building, brilliantly conceived and lit (and of course the church is interesting in itself – partly designed by Hawksmoor who created the strange obelisk spire [a most unusual feature for an Anglican church}, which is topped by a strange weather vane depicting the head of a dragon with a fiery comet-like tail). It had been derelict for 40 years before the LSO decided to redesign it as a music centre
2. The players were all obviously old friends and knew each other’s playing personalities very well – there was a lot of eye contact and smiling which conveyed itself to the listeners. They were clearly enjoying themselves hugely
3. An interesting range of pieces – the Brahmsian and rather lovely and lyrical Bruch pieces; the completely bonkers and very virtuosic Widmann piece for solo calrinet (Widmann is apparently the third most performed contemporary composer); the fascinating Kurtag piece with wisps of Hungarian melody, reflections on Schumann’s bi-polar disorder, and some haunting harmonies – and a bass drum stroke at the end; and finally, the sunny Mozart piece, with a beautiful middle-period-Mozart final movement (contemporary with the Marriage of Figaro)
The violist Antoine Tamestit was a sensitive and thoughtful player – and given that I’ve primarily heard of Widmann as a composer, I was amazed at the quality of his clarinet playing. The pianist was maybe at a less exalted level. Listening to my old recording of the Kegelstatt trio afterwards, with Jack Brymer, Stephen Bishop and Patrick Ireland, I wondered whether the balance of the players at LSO St Lukes could have been better – sometimes the viola seemed a little submerged. But this is a minor point…this was a wonderful concert, and to be broadcast by the BBC on 14/12/21
John's musical journey 