Page 95 - The Strad (February 2020)
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CONCERTS
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‘lesser-spotted’ box even in the UK, so this was always who joined in 2018. ey showed their mettle
going to be a likely highlight of the series. separately and together in an all-Brahms programme
Occupying the rst half were three pieces for string of two sonatas and a trio. In the E minor Cello
quartet heard on the Attacca and Shaw’s Grammy- Sonata op.38, Hagen was heroic in full ow, but
nominated Orange album: Valencia, Punctum and could play with captivating stillness. e Allegretto
Entr’acte. ese were punctuated by Shaw singing her quasi menuetto was charming, light and apparently
new Five Songs for voice and string quartet, whose naive, before the dynamic nal Allegro – crisp,
musical language was – as usual with Shaw – an powerful and full of song.
ear-prickingly melodic one, drawing on American McCarroll was brisk and purposeful in the Violin
folk and ancient European stylistic traditions, Sonata in G major op.78. ere were some bumpy
couched within modal, polytonal, atonal and position changes in the rst movement, but it had a
extended harmonies, and featuring extended string satisfying sweep. e central Adagio had cumulative
techniques. Shaw’s light, supple voice beguiled at its grandeur, with rich double-stopping of the theme,
every turn. e quartet matched with its own and there was delicacy and feeling in the nal
clean-edged sound, often without vibrato, alive to the Allegro molto moderato.
vocal line’s every wax and wane and remaining glued After the interval they joined together for the rst
to the music’s elastic tempos. Perhaps the greatest version of the B major First Piano Trio op.8. eir
imprint on the memory is the atmosphere the playing was big and lush, but could turn on an
musicians spun in the hall: one of profound silence, instant to white-toned bleakness with little or no
and even the room-lling fortissimo bursts felt vibrato. After the jaunty Scherzo, with its strange
weighted in that context, holding the audience’s pizzicato ending, and the wide-ranging characters
attention to an unusual and moving degree. Other of the Adagio non troppo, the Finale had power
Song stood out especially: Shaw invited the audience and passion, with sections that were strange
to hum a B at drone throughout, and to nd and unsettling.
ourselves physically in the centre of this harmonic TIM HOMFRAY
language, sometimes consonantly slotting into it
and at other times having to grasp on to our pedal for The Vienna Piano Trio in its
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TOP PHOTO KEVIN YATAROLA. BOTTOM PHOTO NANCY HOROWITZ VIENNA PIANO TRIO
dear life. is was a surprisingly powerful experience
and I’m not usually one for audience participation.
CHARLOTTE GARDNER
WIGMORE HALL 20 NOVEMBER 2019
e Vienna Piano Trio appeared at this concert in its
new line-up. Well, not that new really. Pianist Stefan
Mendl, who founded the group in 1988, is still
there. With him were violinist David McCarroll,
who joined in 2015, and cellist Clemens Hagen,
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