Chamber music pleases

Press, 18 October 1976, Page 6

Chamber music pleases

Some excellent work, full, of promise, and deserving of high praise for what has al-( ready been accomplished, was heard last evening when the S.I.C.M. children’s groups were heard in performance in the State Trinity ; Hall. Congratulations must be 1 given to Ellen Doyle, the : organiser, and her impressive i assistants. , The' programme began with an Allegro from Han- < del’s Sonata in C major for I two cellos and piano, played I by Susan Townsend, Sara 1 Thompson, and Maisie Cui- ■ len. This tended to plod, at t the chosen pace, and intona- i tion from the cellists was not i always completely happy. I Yet the players were well balanced, and kept together. :

A Minuet and Trio from Beethoven’s Trio No. 3 in C minor was played gracefully by Seamus Hogan (violin), Timothy Prickett (cello), and Kirsten Holcraft (piano). For the most part, intonation was good, but some leads were tentative. The piano part was

well played, and the performance had vivacity, Rachel Catanach (violin), Helen Mountfort (ceUo)> and Alison Catanach (piano), played the slow movement from Schubert’s Trio in E flat major pleasingly. They gave life and shape to the music and, particuary from the cello, there was some splendid tone. This was playing with meaning. The piano part had pleasing vitality.

Clare < Brockett (flute), Gilian Philipson, (cello), and Sophia Harris (piano), played the Allegro Moderate from Weber’s Trio in G minor with smooth tone of good quality and brought interesting meaning and feeling from the music. They played with good tone and balance. A movement from Smetana’s Trio in C minor was

very ably played bv Maria Coats (violin), Timothy Hogan (cello), and Graeme Gilling (piano). In tonal qualities well suited to the style of the music, in lively rythm, in colour, character, and in style this was highly promising.

Piano quintet playing was heard from Maria Coates and Lucienne Shelley, (violins), Nicola Austin (viola), Katherine Slaniforth (cello), and Robert Schmidli (piano) in Schumann’s “In Modo d’Una Marcia” from the Piano Quintet in E flat major. There was splendid blending of timbres, and time balance between the instruments. Artistic and expressive playing created excellent atmosphere. Catherine Gibson (oboe), Josephine Adams (violin), Joseph Knowles (viola), and Ann Clark (cello) played charmingly in a Minuet from J. C. Bach’s Quartet in C major. They showed sense of style and period. The programme ended with Jocelyn Crossan (flute), Ann Clark (cello), and Vivienne Campbell (piano) playing an Allegro con Spirito by Gabriel Pierne, with very good tone and precision. The elusive character of the work was not fully captured and conveyed, although there was much to commend. —-C, Foster Browne.