Australia Ensemble

Press, 24 June 1986, Page 8

Australia Ensemble

The Australia Ensemble, promoted by the Music Federation of New Zealand, James Hay Theatre, Christchurch Town Hall, Monday, June 23, at 8 p.m. Reviewed by Nan

three instrumentalists made the most of the charm to be found in a sparkling allegro, a lyrical adagio, and a set of moderately interesting variations.

Anderson. As the widely acclaimed resident ensemble at the University of New South Wales since 1980, the six members of this group came here with impressive individual credentials. Dene Olding (violin), Irina Morozov (viola), and David Pereira (cello), Geoffrey Collins (flute), Donald Westlake (clarinet), and an expatriate New Zealand pianist, David Bollard, presented three weeks of variable musical interest with freshness, enthusiasm, and sensitivity.

The novelty in the programme was Nicholas Maw’s Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello, commissioned in 1980 for the Nash Ensemble, England. It was a persuasive performance which made the work reasonably accessible to first-time listeners, but some form of analytical notes in the programme would have been helpful. At times the flute was very much a soloist with the other instruments little more than accompaniment. At other times the flute seemed to draw

Beethoven’s Trio in B flat, Op. 11, for clarinet, cello and piano, is an early work — a concession perhaps to the musical fashion of its day, and not in the same class as his later chamber composition. It made a pleasant enough start to the programme. While not significant enough to extend either players or listeners, the

them all up into their highest registers to emulate its bird-call flutters. The second movement was particularly beautiful and atmospheric; the last did not seem to have enough inspiration to sustain its length. Over all it was an intriguing work, played with Integrity; and one must commend the ensemble’s advocacy of new works.

The string players really came into their own in Brahms’ magnificent Quartet in C minor, Op. 60, the so-called “tragic key” of musical classicism. In solo passages each instrument played with matching eloquence, especially the cello and violin introductions in the third and fourth movements respectively, and ensemble sections were well nigh impeccable.

At the risk of appearing parochial, I must mention David Bollard’s superb piano playing in this work and the Beethoven trio. Whether dominating the textures or subordinate to the others, his judgment of balance and support was unerring.

If the Brahms performance did not quite give one the ultimate spinetingling frisson, it was for no other reason than the youth .of the ensemble in string quartet terms.. May they have many more years together to add even further maturity to that freshness and enthusiasm which clearly to last evening’s audience!