Music / CIMF, Concert 8: “Sibling Revelry”. At Fitters’ Workshop, April 28. Reviewed by IAN MCLEAN.

THIS was a cleverly constructed and well performed concert which included a wide variety of musical styles and was, in the main, most satisfying and entertaining. 

Solely featuring music composed by siblings, proceedings opened with “Four Songs Op.8” by Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn, the lesser known sister of Felix. Her contribution to music was however extensive with some 466 compositions published before her death at age 41. Outstanding pianist Edward Neeman performed the songs (completely from memory) with a graceful and delicate touch and in a dreamlike, gentle style that captured the essence of the composer’s belief that the piano itself should become the singer of her songs.

Brother Felix was devastated by her early demise and wrote his “String Quartet Op.80” while on doctored ordered rest to recover from his grief. The quartet was masterfully performed by Europe’s Quatuor Van Kuijk. 

In contrast to the preceding peaceful songs, it opened with fire and drama and slick, tight playing. The understanding between the members of the quartet was incredible with rapid articulated passages played with perfect timing and dynamic control and impressive contrast. 

The pianissimo of the second movement was wonderfully barely audible while the passionate, driving finale displayed individual and collective playing of the highest standard.

It was off to Paris after the interval for two songs written by the Boulanger sisters and performed by six sopranos. It was quite fascinating to discover that, despite the domination of male composers in the early 1900s, elder sister Nadia was sought out by luminaries such as George Gershwin, Piazzolla and Glass to give them composition lessons. 

Her “Cantique” was quite beautiful with its well controlled, exaggerated and sustained phrasing. Younger sister Lilli only lived to age 24 but her “Le Retour” was full of imagery with rolling waves seemingly evident in a seascape.

Twins Martin and Peter Wesley-Smith were born in Adelaide in 1945 and their clever music provided the quirky (and child within) contribution to the concert. 

Martin composed “Brother Jack” in 1994, the piano piece for four hands played in appropriate style by Stephanie and Edward Neeman. It was based on “Frere Jacques” and featured intricate cross rhythms, unexpected interactions, fascinating interjections and interplay, finesse and even puppet-like poses from the two players.

“Three Songs from Boojum!”, composed by both brothers, premiered at the 1986 Adelaide Festival and was cleverly comedic in its verse and rhyme. 

Like the two pianists before them, sopranos Anna Fraser and Susannah Lawergren, together with the Luminescence Chamber Singers, hammed it up perfectly, producing an entertaining and interesting piece, which included everything from some Manhattan Transfer-like backing to quite unique rhythmic patterns.

The finale, a new work, “Monumentally”, commissioned by the Canberra International Music Festival and composed by Melbourne siblings Flora and Theo Carbo, had its premiere but was a disappointment. 

Perhaps I missed the point, but it was overly repetitive around basic themes that had insufficient “meat on the bones” to allow for any substantial development. Balance was poor with taped sound often indistinguishable and vocal contribution drowned out.

A shame as, till then, this had been a concert of little known, but enlightening, educative and quite fascinating music.