Ensemble Renard
Review By Donald Judge
First a huge sadness to share: some may have heard of the death this week at only 48 of Laura Samuel, for many years with the Belcea Quartet, and so a treasured visitor to the chamber concerts and an inspiration to many other quartets. Laura came to Bollington with the Belcea for their first visit in 1999. Life can be cruel, but music always endures as a joy and a comfort.
How lovely it was to have a Wind Quintet in Bollington after many years – whichever it was, memory suggests they played both the Ligeti and Nielsen – and what a splendid ensemble and programme to satisfy the connoisseur and enlighten newcomers.
It’s rare to hear such clear and informative introductions from every member of an ensemble, a great credit to them. One mentioned the shortage of works by the great classical and romantic composers, though of course they wrote brilliantly for wind instruments, with Mozart’s Serenade for 13 wind instruments a towering masterpiece. Brahm’s 2ndSerenade is wind heavy, with only lower strings. Dvořák contributed a Serenade in D minor, more punchy than the lush one for strings; and the young Richard Strauss another delight. These serenades go well beyond the stereotype of a light accompaniment to food and conversation.
Back to the classical era, and wind arrangements of tunes from Mozart’s operas and others were hugely popular, ideal for outdoor events. Beethoven’s Czech born friend Anton Reicha wrote prolifically for the wind quintet.
Unlike a string quartet, the wind quintet isn’t a homogenous sound world. Each instrument is highly distinctive. Only two – oboe and bassoon – use the same method of sound production, the double reed. The French horn, while blown, is made of metal, as is the modern flute, though in classical time they were wooden. The audience saw two additional instruments – the cor anglais, the distinctive lower oboe familiar from the New World Symphony, and the shrill piccolo, the flute’s smaller sibling. The other unexpected effects were modifications to the bassoon. A mute and an extension tube to achieve the final low A in the Nielsen. Posh customised versions rather than old sock or large Smartie tube some players have been known to use!
The best string quartets can make recitals and coaching their main source of activity and income. Hundreds across the world do. Wind quintets can’t. There isn’t the repertoire. An ensemble like Renard must make quintet playing one string to their individual bows and be filled with enthusiasm and on a mission to convince. They certainly have that! But they are a quintet rather than part of a larger collective and it seems they have a gratifying list of engagements.
The programme featured six works, one a bonus. All demonstrated their six composers’ sound understanding of the characteristics and imaginative use of both individual instruments and the ensemble, not the easiest to bring off. It was a good idea to grab the audience’s attention by starting with the most recent, the upbeat Umoja by Valerie Coleman, rather than the more languorous Pastorale by Amy Beach. After fine performances of the two American works – the other being Samuel Barber’s more varied Summer Music – Taffenel’s quintet was the longest item and a lively conclusion to the first half.
The bonus came after the interval. If anyone knows any of György Ligeti’s music it’s likely to be that used by Stanley Kubrick’s, principally in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but also two others – and Kubrick chose music already written. Ligeti, born in Romania in 1923, settled in Hungary, but fled to Austria in 1956 to escape artistic oppression by the regime. He was then free to pursue the avant-garde and influence many composers. The piano bagatelles he selected six of for the wind quintet arrangement date from 1951-53 and so are less radical, some drawing on his native folk song. A bagatelle is a short, often whimsical piece – Beethoven wrote several for piano.
The Ligeti was the appetiser for perhaps not even arguably the greatest work in the repertoire – the Quintet by Carl Nielsen. Afficionados of the Danish composer need no convincing that he’s one of the finest and most original symphonists, thinking that performances should be as frequent as those by Sibelius, which themselves were rare just a few decades ago. Those yet to be converted to Nielsen could do worse than start with his Helios Overture, a ten-minute depiction of sunrise to sunset over the Aegean Sea. Like his Finnish contemporary, Nielsen drew inspiration from Mediterranean warmth – Sibelius in the Second Symphony. Or there’s the lovely cantata Springtime on Fünen, inspired by life on his island home since childhood.
The wind quintet was something of light relief after the two-year battle to compose the extraordinary Fifth Symphony. As programme notes and the introduction explained, he was inspired by his orchestral player friends, who he depicts with honesty, love and good humour. Nielsen includes so many different types of music, including references to the folk and hymn tunes of his home village, and yet somehow gives disparate ideas unity. The minuet harks back to the classical world. Only the prelude to the variations begins to match some of the violence found in the Symphony. Those variations showcase instruments playing solos, duets and trios; showing off, cooperating and falling out. The listener might be reminded of the finale of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet or Brahms’ St Antoni Variations, based on a simple folk like melody entirely of Nielsen’s own.
Finally, they come together, like a congregation singing together, all disagreements forgotten. A satisfying conclusion needing no encore, especially as several possible ones had been heard earlier. Having such diverse musical styles to convey and convince made the Renard’s recital all the more remarkable.
The next concert in January returns to the string quartet with the long-established (in Manchester!) and acclaimed Solem Quartet playing Bosmans, Beethoven, Boulanger and Debussy. Not to be missed.