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| Vision String Quartet. |
Llewellyn Hall, Canberra. 5th October 2023. - Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
The publicity for the debut Australian tour of the
Berlin-based Vision String Quartet made much of the fact that the musicians
perform their entire program without printed music. So do jazz musicians! So do
rock bands! You might argue. What’s so special about that?
Well, if you were in the audience for this concert, you might have
experienced a revelation.
From the moment Florian Willeitner (violin), Daniel Stoll
(violin), Sander Stuart (Viola) and Leonard Disselhorst (Cello), who make up
the Vision String Quartet, took the stage;
their confident, friendly demeanour conjured up the thought that this was a
chamber-music version of “El Divo”, the multi-national classical vocal cross-over
quartet.
Usually the goal for classical ensembles is to interpret the
written music as close to the composer’s intention as possible, paying
particular attention to the composer’s notations regarding tempi, expression,
mood and balance.
Vision String Quartet certainly do all that, but by abandoning
the necessity to follow the written instructions, the four young virtuosi have
discovered the freedom to turn their entire attention to responding to the
composer’s music and drawing on each
other’s individual skills to create their own unique interpretations of the
composers intentions. For their audiences, sharing those discoveries makes for a
thrilling experience.
To introduce themselves to Australian audiences the quartet
chose a demanding program of works by Bloch, Bartok and Dvorak
The Prelude, B.63
composed in 1925 by Swiss-born composer Ernest Bloch proved the perfect
introduction. A short 5- minute work, its gentle slow introduction introduced
each instrument separately and set the tone and style for the rest of concert.
Following the prelude, violinist Florian Willeitner briefly
acknowledged the warm welcome offered by the audience, and the ensemble
launched into Bartok’s testing String
Quartet No. 4 in C Major.
Who would have thought Bartok could be so much fun? What a
revelation for those of us who associate Bartok with discordance and cacophony!
Certainly the discordance was there, but in the hands of these musicians it
suddenly made sense and became captivating.
Each musician’s obvious mastery of their instrument, together
with their absorbance in exploring the possibilities in the musical detail, was
so absorbing that the only sensible response seemed to be to simply indulge and
let one’s imagination respond to the musical discoveries being offered.
Therefore Bartok’s second movement, Prestissimo, con sordino, marked to be played
extremely quickly with mutes, conjured up a garden swarming with busy bees. (I
know! But it’s still spring after all).
During the third movement, Non
troppo lento, a long-repressed memory of Danny Kaye’s “Tubby the Tuba” emerged,
prompted when the cello launched into a haunting solo while the other
instruments hummed admiringly in the background before breaking into excited
chatter. (Again, I know! but in defence
I’ll paraphrase Noel Coward’s excuse “Strange how potent good music is”).
Of course the audience broke into excited applause between
movements - who could blame them - which the musicians acknowledged with
encouraging smiles.
Following interval the rest of the concert was devoted to Dvorak’s
String Quartet No.13 in G major, Op.106.
This work provided a complete change of style and mood with its lush opening
which kept promising to break into a Viennese waltz, but of course never did.
As before, the complexities inherent in the music appeared to
offer little challenge to the musicians who luxuriated in the opportunities it
offered their quest to explore and expose new insights.
This was a recital full of surprises. If there had been an
expectation that it would be avant-garde, this was quickly dispelled by the
obvious respect and fascination exhibited by the musicians for the music they
were presenting, and their colleagues. Their attention to detailing with
bowing, musical phrasing, dynamics and execution was mesmerising.
The way they held the moment after each movement, engaged with
each other while tossing around musical phrases, and listened intently to blend and mix tone,
demonstrated their appreciation of musical etiquette and showmanship.
They also understand the value of ambience when presenting
their performance. The vast stage of the Llewellyn Hall has seldom looked as elegant
or welcoming as it did for this concert. A warmly- lit, semi-circular screen,
flanked by a huge spot-lit arrangement of Australian native flowers, with the
rest of the stage flooded in gentle wisteria-coloured wash, created a lovely
stage-picture on which to rest eyes, while at the same time, providing an
intimate performing space for the musicians.
All of which added immeasurably to the enjoyment of this
dazzling ensemble.
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au
