Canberra International Music Festival – Concert 9 – “The Streets of Madrid,” at the Fitters’ Workshop, Monday May 2, reviewed by by Ian McLean.

THE END  of a long day thinking I’ve been fixing the worries of the world, 6.30pm, nice to settle into a chair at the Fitters’ Workshop to escape for a little while.  

Trooping down the red carpet come the Boccherini Trio with a six movement Mozart work on the concert bill.   Within moments the seamless violin playing of Suyeon Kang relaxes the mind and any tense moments of the day dissolve as music washes away the hassles.

Not quite as easy for the players.   Mozart’s Divertimento in E Flat Major places considerable challenges on performers with the work written for trio only, no 2nd Violin to share the work load as was the norm for the period.   The Allegro opening movement was a tad loose with viola and cello not quite matching the clarity of the violin but all had settled well by the Adagio 2nd movement where the deep sonority of the cello of Paolo Bonomini came to the fore.   Close connection between the players was suddenly obvious with delightful interplay and beautiful balance evident in the three middle movements.   The virtually indiscernible passing of melodic fragments between violin and the viola of Florian Peelman was a highlight in these slower passages then a striking, dramatic Allegro finale which ably demonstrated how musically tight knit this Boccherini Trio is.   Like many others, when interval came I stood to feel totally calm and relaxed with those woes of the world completely gone.

I frequented the convivial interval refreshment tent during the break and found a cold Mexican beer on sale, perfect for my now calm state.   Also perfect for the dramatic musical contrast which came on return to the hall.   The gentle grace demanded of violinist Suyeon Kang by Mozart was replaced with fire and exuberance as the Trio were joined by guitarist Andrey Lebedev, bass player Rohan Dasika and an additional violinist, the most energetic Anna McMichael.   Suddenly we were in Spain and the theatre side of me wanted a costume change with billowing red outfits and heaps of roses to add to the marked change of style.

We were now on the streets of Madrid with most descriptive night music from that steamy city.   Bells( played by strings – fascinating!), a soldier’s drum then a beggars minuet – the gentle had become firebrand and music was now attacking and exciting the soul, not washing over it.   I don’t know how often these six extraordinary players had worked together previously but the interplay and understanding between them was excellent.   The Minuetto featured a strummed cello which was visually and aurally terrific. By the end of the Ririrata, which signalled a retreat from the night life of Madrid, the audience was fully caught up in the atmosphere but more was to follow.   I’m a percussionist by initial trade but never have I heard such virtuosic castanet playing as that demonstrated by Alfredo Bringas as he joined the sextet in the Fandango from Boccherini’s Guitar Quartet No 4 in D.   I don’t know how he could play so frantically well but it was great and brought the crowd (so relaxed at interval) to their ‘ready to go to the bull fight’ feet.

Unfortunately not appropriate for castanet accompaniment, the demanded encore just had to be Boccherini’s best known piece, his Minuet from the String Quartet in E.   Off then into the cooling Canberra night having arrived tense, become at ease then fired up and thinking of Sangria.