An absolutely outstanding evening of chamber music. (Review by
Michael Green)
An absolutely outstanding evening of chamber music was
provided by the Odeion String Quartet from Bloemfontein when they played for
the Friends of Music at the Durban Jewish Centre.
This quartet was formed 24 years ago at the University of
the Free State, and it is the only full-time string quartet at a South African
university.
The leader and first violinist is Samson Diamond, who is
about 33 and whose background includes musical education in Johannesburg and
Manchester, UK, and ensemble music in Soweto. The other players, all South
Africans, are Sharon de Kock, violin, Jeanne-Louise Moolman, viola, and Anmari
van der Westhuizen, cello.
They all excelled in a programme consisting of two lengthy
works by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. Tchaikovsky’s output of chamber music is
fairly small, and his String Quartet No. 3 in E flat minor must have been an
eye-opener to many in the Durban audience. It has a complex and varied first
movement, a slow movement that is a funeral march for a dead friend, and a
vigorously Russian finale.
All of this was presented with great skill, with Samson
Diamond a particularly accomplished violinist and an authoritative leader.
Beethoven was represented by the second of his three
Rasumovsky Quartets of Op. 59. The name comes from the Russian ambassador to
Vienna, who was one of the composer’s supporters. It is a good example of
someone who is remembered solely because of his association with Beethoven,
others being Waldstein and Kreutzer.
This quartet is one of Beethoven’s many masterpieces in the
genre. The Adagio in particular is hypnotically beautiful and is said to have
stemmed from Beethoven’s contemplation of the night sky.
The players captured admirably the spirit and atmosphere of
this composition. It may be invidious to single out individuals, but Anmari van
der Westhuizen’s cello was often admirably expressive.
The audience responded with a standing ovation at the end.
The Prelude Performer of the evening, supported by the
National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, was Arliya Robin Peters, a
17-year-old pupil at Northlands Girls’ High School. She sang three items,
accompanying herself at the piano and on the guitar. - Michael Green
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