Town House, Inverness, 14 January 2009

PRESENTED by the Inverness Chamber Music Society the Frith Piano Quartet – Benjamin Frith (piano), Robert Heard (violin), Louise Williams (viola) and Richard Jenkinson (cello) – delighted their audience with an evening of works by Fauré, Bliss and Schumann.

Frith Piano Quartet

Composed between 1876 and 1879, Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No1 in C minor Opus 15 opened the programme, showcasing pianist Benjamin Frith’s beautifully light and sensitive touch, particularly in the second movement ‘Scherzo’. This is a complex piece which allows the voices of solo instruments to resonate, especially in the beautiful but sombre ‘Adagio”, where the cello reaches upwards with a melancholic, emotionally unresolved melodic phrase.

Equally the full power and precision of the ensemble was felt in the final movement ‘Allegro molto’ in an intense conclusion to the work. In unison the rich orchestral palette of the last movement exhibited an impressive range, interpreted with great flair and energy by the Quartet.

After such an exuberant piece, the Piano Quartet in A by Sir Arthur Bliss felt a little laboured. Written in 1915, this is an early experimental work in which the composer is clearly still evolving. Influenced by Elgar, Fauré, Ravel and Vaughan Willams – the latter was particularly evident in the opening movement ‘Poco adagio e espressivo’ which echoes VW’s treatment of strings – Bliss seems to have thrown all of his musical leanings into this quartet.

Unfortunately the initial clarity of the introduction eventually gives way to a heavily layered and unsatisfying climax in the final movement. The opening melody played superbly by Louise Williams on the viola immediately links the work to the English folk tradition, as does Bliss’s use of dance tunes and rhythms within the proceeding movements. It is in such sections where the sound is pared down that the work achieves its greatest expression.

Best known for his Romantic piano works and song cycles, Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E Flat Opus 47, explores a more classical approach to form. Schumann and his wife Clara, a pianist and composer in her own right, studied the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn together, and at times this work feels very much like emotion constrained within a musical structure. This is contrasted in the third movement in which the solo cello is featured, almost sentimental in its warm and tender tonality.

An encore of the ‘Menuet and Trio’ from a quartet by Weber concluded the evening, which was a perfect antidote to the bleak and frosty winter night outside. The Frith Piano Quartet delivered a programme defined by excellent musicianship, strong ensemble work and fine solo performances which was clearly appreciated by the audience.

We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic and dedicated group in the area instrumental in providing access to the finest chamber music groups and soloists. The intimate setting is well suited to this genre of music and The Inverness Chamber Music Society will continue their concert series in the Town House with the Illuminati Wind Quartet on February 12.

© Georgina Coburn, 2009

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