Recital well received

Press, 17 August 1979, Page 11

Recital well received

By C. FOSTER BROWNE The Camerata string Quartet Paulene Smith and Katherine Wilkinson (violins), Elizabeth Rogers (viola), and Frances De Goldi (cello) — gave a recitgi to its customarily large and appreciative audience at the State-Trin-ity Centre oh Wednesday evening. Throughout the programme the members of the quartet played with well-blended tonal dualities, all well balanced for the musical niceties of the works as they arose. The - programme began with Schubert’s Quartet in A minor, Pp. 29, This work was written at a time when circumstances caused Schubert tn suffer severe depression, hilt his astonishing gifts of melody rose above his

troubles and set him free to write this work, which breathes serenity and conjures an autumnal fruitfulness. An andante was rewarding, and peacefully promising, and so, in a different atmosphere, was the third movement, a minuet, which ended with softly pervading and gentle strains. ' With lola Shelley as pianist and Thomas Rogers playing the double bass, the quartet, minus Miss Wilkinson, ended the programme with Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, Op. 114.

The first movement was lively and scintillating, with added sonority and bright flashes of sound from the piano brightening the sene. lola Shelley can be relied on to bring a special vitality to an ensemble without departing from character er causing

any upset to balance. The movement, always bright, ended in exhilarating triumph.

The second movement sang with expansive poise and most appealing colours. The scherzo sprang to life like hounds in pursuit of a hare, with a little searching episode when scent was momentarily lost. This brought us to the awaited moment when the variations on “The Trout” song began, and with charming elegance pursued their delightful way. Some rewarding moments came when the cello contributed its metamorphosis of the theme near the end of. the variations.

The last movement, with suave agj|jty, then rushed triumphantly onwards, winding up the work and the recital with jocund spirit,