Music / “Mendelssohn Octet”, Canberra Strings. At Wesley Church, Forrest, October 23. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

SIXTEEN is an awfully young age to write a complex octet, but not for Mendelssohn. Even after almost 200 years, his octet is still one of the finest chamber music works.

The players in Canberra Strings for this concert were Barbara Jane Gilby, Pip Thompson, Jack Chenoweth, Matthew Witney, violin; Lucy Carrigy-Ryan, Caroline Suthers, viola; Samuel Payne and Liam Meany, cello.

Felix Mendelssohn reached artistic maturity as a boy. His highly developed musical language is distinct throughout his octet. He died at 38, in 1847, yet his influence on Western music is still strong today.

Canberra Strings began with Mendelssohn’s “Four pieces for String Quartet”, Op. 81. With the players arranged as two string quartets, they began with one quartet playing the stately “Tema con Variazioni”, and the “Scherzo”, and the second playing the “Capriccio”, and the “Fuga”.

Written over the space of several years, these four pieces had a beautiful clarity. With a gentle-to-moderate pace and a flowing style with poignant solo moments, this work contains the essence of chamber music. It would have been splendid for a house concert, but worked well in Wesley Church, which had one of the largest audiences I have seen in this space for some time.

After shuffling their stage arrangement to set up as an octet, the Mendelssohn “Octet in E-flat Major”, Op. 20, straight away, through a sense of anticipation, spoke of something special. When together, the eight players filled the church with warm and rich musical tones.

This extended work, filled with diverse instrumental combinations, speaks several languages at once. But it all gels to form a singular passionate expression. Through the evocative styles in this octet, the players expressed some individually sensuous timbres. Played exceptionally well, were the forceful runs where all eight performers combined on the one phrase.

The slower and more delicate sections were full of lush warmth. The cellos stood out through a robust drive in their playing. Occasionally, in the middle register of the group, the intonation was not quite there.

The “Scherzo” movement is where this music truly comes alive. The gorgeous, playful and devilish writing is like a play within a play. It was fresh; alive with bright vibrant colours where each member had something unique to say. The tunes within tunes, the almost Celtic themes, the group staccatos and tremolos; this section had it all.

The rapid opening of the last movement took off with the cellos grinding out a theme that was passed around to the other performers. Each player produced a vigorous tone quality and dynamic through the many pacy notes. It built in speed and volume. The melodic and harmonic voices combined to create a joyous, bright and powerful finale. The audience went off. Cheering, loud applause and foot stomping. That said it all.