Page 185 - ASMF Marriner 100 Coverage Book
P. 185
Quintet.
The familiar Perahia articulation and ease are still very much there. But while this interpretation
was a model of clarity, it wasn't the miracle of poetry that I've heard in other recent
performances. There seemed to be a determination to make abstract the two-faced legend of the
second movement: the funeralish march not mysterious, the lyrical respite never taking wing. At
least the scherzo and finale were objectively perfect.
Not tumultuously joyful, though, in the way that the Mendelssohn's Octet – surely the most
remarkable work ever composed by a teenager, though there's compettion – proved under the
sophisticated but always dynamic guidance of ASMF director Joshua Bell. If the opening sallies
of sheer joy from the first violinist don't fly, forget it; these did, and how. complemented by the
gilded freighting of cellists Harwood and Will Schofield. The fairy-music of the scherzo was
nuanced to the finest degree; the Presto began tumultuously and kept up that initial promise. You
always come out feeling better from even a merely good performance of the Octet; this was a
great one. Full marks, too, for a lavish and informative Marriner 100 booklet.
• Third and final concert in the ASMF's Marriner centenary events is tomorrow
(Thursday 18 April) at the Royal Festival Hall
• More classical reviews on theartsdesk