ABERDEEN CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS
THE SANCTUARY, QUEEN’S CROSS CHURCH, ABERDEEN
Monday 14th March 2022
ENSEMBLE BURLETTA:
Shelley Levy clarinet
Lucy Russell first violin
Lucy Hewson second violin
Nicola Joy Blakey viola
Cressida Nash cello
PROGRAMME:
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A, K581
Hans Gál: Serenade for clarinet, violin and cello, Op. 93
Glazunov: Reverie Orientale, Op. 34 for clarinet and string quartet
Weber: Clarinet Quintet in B flat, Op. 34
Ensemble Burletta opened their concert on Monday with a shiny-bright performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A. It was the rhythmic responsiveness of all the players, individually and in ensemble that made Monday night’s performance special. The opening Allegro, had a lightness and delicacy as the strings encouraged the clarinet to flow, to sweep and to soar in reply to their animated playing, just what is needed for Mozart. The first violin and especially the cello shone through the texture of the backing making their own characterful contributions to the formalities of the sonata.
There followed a gentle dreamy Larghetto with Shelley Levy’s clarinet singing so clearly above the delicate backing of muted strings. The Menuetto was delicious in its scrupulous rhythmic deportment while the two trios, especially the second of those, suggested more than just a touch of good humour in tonight’s performance by Ensemble Burletta. That idea was carried forward into some of the variations in the finale, although there were considerable alterations of mood, as in a wistful minor section. It was as if cloud and sunshine were moving in turn across Mozart’s lovely musical landscape.
Hans Gál was born in a small village near Vienna. He was appointed Director of the Mainz Conservatory in 1929 but when Hitler came to power in 1933, being of Jewish descent, he was instantly dismissed. In 1938, he emigrated to the UK and finally settled in Edinburgh. He was respected in musical circles and was one of those who founded the Edinburgh Festival in 1947.
His Serenade for clarinet, violin and cello was composed in 1935 while he was still in Austria where life was becoming more and more difficult and yet this music had a sunshiny ambience, I thought. The opening movement Cantabile had a fresh sounding almost pastoral feel to it. There were more lively dance-like moments in the mix as well. The second movement Burletta (from whence the name of today’s ensemble?) was like a scherzo, pointed and playful but leading to a trio section offering melodic tranquillity. The third movement had a sinuous clarinet part above pizzicato strings. At one point, Lucy Russell had a moment of duetting with Shelley Levy. It was a delight.
The finale was a tip toe lively dance and I particularly enjoyed Cressida Nash’s bouncy cello playing. Hans Gál’s music definitely deserves to be programmed more often.
After a short interval, we heard the short Rêverie Orientale by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, a pupil in composition of Rimsky Korsakov. Russian? Oh dear! But Glazunov died some years before Putin was born and he left Russia to spend his last years in France, so he is probably off the hook. In his piece which is a brilliantly colourful musical painting of the exotic east, the string quartet is often separate from the clarinet and here was a chance for the strings of Ensemble Burletta to shine, and indeed they did.
If Hans Gál is a composer who has not always had the attention he deserves, in the UK at least, so is Carl Maria von Weber. His Clarinet Quintet in B flat was the final piece in the official programme and it was by quite a way the best, the most wonderfully exciting. As the excellent programme note said, “The quintet is more of a clarinet concerto with strings…” and that is indeed how it came across. Weber is most remembered in Britain as an opera composer and the opening Allegro did have a powerful dramatic impact. This was equally true of the following Fantasia. The third movement is labelled Menuetto but the subtitle Capriccio Presto is more like it, nearer to a scherzo than a minuet, but not that either, something unique to Weber. The rollicking Finale was like a horse race across country with the strings powering the galloping. Both third and fourth movements are brilliant showpieces for the clarinet and that was precisely what Shelley Levy was in this work – absolutely brilliant! Marvellous floods and whoops of notes delivered with a true sense of celebration. Of course this drew a torrent of applause from Monday’s audience. Ensemble Burletta responded with something really special. Cellist Cressida Nash introduced their own special arrangement of a Ukrainian folksong ‘Cheremshyna’, in English, ‘Bird-cherry Tree’. It was absolutely beautiful and currently very appropriate indeed!