SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL CONCERT
 

Ireland, Rebecca Clarke and Mendelssohn: Cook Strait Trio (Blyth Press, violin; Paul van Houte, cello; Amber Rainey, piano), The Old Library, Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand, 5.8.2010 (PSe)

 

What matters more in a musical performer – the enthusiasm and new ideas of youth or the wisdom and experience of maturity? In an ideal world, the answer would be, “Neither – both have something of value to offer.” Prepare yourself for a shock – we’re not living in an ideal world! Now, while you get over that devastating revelation, let’s look (somewhat askance) at the real world situation.

By and large, the audiences who flock to see “Big Names” will turn up their noses at unknowns. If that’s true, then how does an unknown become a “Big Name”? There are two routes – either by a long, hard slog up the mountainside, or by hitching a helicopter ride through winning, or at least gaining a much-publicised place, in a prestigious competition.

Of course, it helps that the number of competitions is rapidly becoming an appreciable fraction of the number of available competitors, and that competitions are, without exception, “prestigious”. Moreover, at practically every prizegiving ceremony, somebody important will pronounce words to the effect that, “The standard of all the entrants has been so high . . .” If that’s true, and I see no reason why not, then the major difference between a typical unknown and a typical “Big Name” is one of popularity, whilst there’s comparatively little to choose between them in terms of ability.

We do, of course, need to be a wee bit careful – a “Big Name” and a truly great musician are not necessarily the same thing, are they? Anyway, that entire train of thought was sparked by the scene in the Old Library when I arrived for the recital under consideration.

I looked around at the abundance of empty seats and wondered: where were the heaving crowds that had cheered Josef Špaček and Michael Houstoun at the Music Society’s previous recital? I was forced to conclude that they’d come only to genuflect before the great god Celebrity, because they sure as h*ll weren’t here tonight! If so, that’s their loss, because this turned out to be possibly the greater occasion. Why? Have patience; I’ll tell you at the end.

The Cook Strait Trio is (for the time being, at least) not exactly what you’d call a “Big Name”. In fact, this recital marked the start of their very first tour. According to the blurb, the name was chosen because “it places [them] as New Zealanders, as well as linking the Nelson Summer School and Wellington city, the foundation places of [their] chamber music education” (Nelson and Wellington are on the South and North Islands respectively, just across the said strait from one another).

Entirely understandably, there was the faintest hint of “first night” nerves, but this rapidly evaporated as they got stuck in. Initially the piano seemed a bit reticent, but it soon became clear that this was symptomatic of careful preparation, giving due consideration to the cello’s softer voice. Equal care had gone into their programme, which was intelligently chosen to be both challenging and involving – and (thankfully, some might say) devoid of any modish, meandering mood-pieces.

John Ireland’s Phantasie Trio (1907), whose main subject has a gently folksy air with just a whiff of “gypsy” about it, is a sea of ever-shifting moods and prehensile tempi, wherein hills of passionate lyricism enfold glades of mystery and imagination. This was easy on the ear, but a real test of the young ensemble’s mettle. I’d have had difficulty resisting the players’ warmth, agility and delicacy, so I didn’t even try.

Rebecca Clarke’s Piano Trio (1921) stood in stark contrast – a caustic commentary on the Great War and the breakdown of the old order. Although far more astringently expressed, in import it nevertheless allied itself to Elgar’s Cello Concerto (1919), even concluding on a similarly brief note of equivocal hope. For me, this nerve-jangling work, which deserves far greater currency, was the concert’s highlight.

I don’t think the CST missed a trick. Sensitive, it seemed, to every nuance of Clarke’s vividly inventive score, they unerringly realised the underlying disquiet, an unstable, nightmarish landscape stalked by shades of gunfire and bugles, and threaded by curiously disembodied solitary laments – a distinctive style anticipating Shostakovich by a good 30 years!

Whether or not intentionally, by playing Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 they invited comparison with last year’s NZTrio performance. Alright then, invitation accepted! I’ll probably be shot for putting it like this, but I’ll say it anyway:

NZTrio’s knockout reading was impressive for its unusual “symphonic” quality. However, like Christmas dinner, really it’s a “once a year” treat. CST prepared only the ingredients of the true Mendelssohn – litheness, athleticism, poise and refinement – then presented the dish “strait” from the oven, perfectly “cooked”. In other words, this was classic Mendelssohn, beautifully judged. In the outer movements, although there was no shortage of energy and “lift”, the tempi were never forced. This neatly illuminated the essential characters of the two inner movements - the Scherzo’s featherlight fleetness and the Andante’s affectingly elegant mobility. This was a performance both “cool” and warmly affectionate.

There’s a postscript. It came as something of a surprise to learn that, although Paul van Houte and Amber Rainey had previously performed as a duo, their first rehearsal with violinist Blyth Press was just a fortnight ago. Suddenly, that hint of “first night nerves” took on a whole new significance. This recital marked more than just the start of a tour – our small but appreciative audience had just witnessed the birth of the Cook Strait Trio.

In my book, that fully justifies that “possibly the greater occasion”. For the players, it certainly was, and these three young New Zealanders – highly talented, intensely focussed, and as keen as mustard – had played their socks off. Will they fulfil their promise? Who knows? I sincerely hope so – then I and a few others will be able to brag, “Oh, yes – I was there when they started out, you know.”

Paul Serotsky

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