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Alto
Adige Meranofest Extraordinary
opening of the festival with a Canadian Quartet. PENDERECKI,
THE INFALLIBLE STRINGS Meranofest second edition, act one. On the stage, the Penderecki String Quartet (founded in 1981 in Poland, now naturalized Canadians) and pianist LevNatochenny. (Russian, now resides in the United States). On the program, Haydn,Brahms and Schnittke. About a hundred people at the opening, Sunday eveninginside the Puccini Theater. Extremely hot. (When will the air conditioning come?) The inaugural concert of this prestigious series hit a 'Bull's Eye'. These are musicians of international level who have chosen their repertoire with taste and intelligence. The centre-piece of the whole evening, the Penderecki String Quartet, is a prodigious ensemble, perfectly balanced and able to produce extraordinary intensity. All the emotions which can be presented through the chamber music repertoire have been chronicled through the three composers presented. The first two works were played by the quartet alone: Haydn, Quartet Op.33 No.2 in E flat,and Brahms, Quartet in a minor Op. 51. No.2. The four movements of Haydn showed 'scientific' writing; perfect in structure, absolute 'Mozartiana'. The ensemble was in such balance that not even a minute seemed to separate our technological civilization from this music of another era. The Penderecki Quartet is astonishing. Combining very precise execution of the bow strokes with their great technique, they provided a strong and effective interpretation. The Brahms quartet brought us music with more suffering, more ennui, filled with "Chiaroscuro" (light and shade). This composition has a very modern atmosphere. It is well known that Brahms' string quartets profoundly influenced Arnold Schoenberg, one of the fathers of contemporary music. The thematic nuclei come and go, as if pushed by uncertain and capricious winds. The Penderecki's intuitively follow the music, breathing together with the composer. The last movement was splendid; even though the work had ended, the quartet remained motionless, as if squashed by this rich and fecund music. One can feel Brahms still present in the hall, a spirit who doesn't want to leave. Alfred Schnitkke is a contemporary Russian composer (b.1934), who was first influenced by Prokofiev and Bartok, and then the modernism of Alban Berg. The Quintet for Piano and Strings was written in 1976. It is impossible to think about this music without 'seeing' the images it evokes, without understanding its social connotations. The themes develop in insistent, rhythmic microcells, agitated dilatations, and haunting echoes. Pianist Natochenny, in the background, moves like a spider on the keyboard, striking clusters of notes which seem to dissolve into nothingness. In front, the Penderecki's are moving like a gentle instrument, docilein the hands of the score, completely engaged in the music. After
being called back to the stage four times, they repeated the last movement,
giving us, again, another few minutes of the etherial and ephemeral
scenery which this composition evokes. |
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