Chamber Music New Zealand Concert NZTrio. Violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins with clarinettist Julian Bliss.
Music by Brahms, Ross Harris and Messiaen.
Century Theatre, Napier, Saturday, July 23.
Reviewed by Peter Williams
Major interest in this concert was the performance of Quartet For The End of Time by Messiaen - composed and first performed with Messiaen as the pianist while a prisoner of war " vastly different for this performance in elegant surroundings played on superb quality instruments.
Messiaen was deeply religious and mystical in character, aspects that are reflected in the eight extraordinary movements which make up this unique composition.
Nature, and particularly birdsong, feature strongly in Messiaen's compositions. The clarinet and violin in the opening movement, Liturgy of crystal, evoked the sound of blackbirds and nightingales, while in the third movement, Abyss of the birds, the clarinet playing transfixed the audience with the incredible stillness created and the sound rising from silence.
The combination of all four instruments in the Furious dance for the seven trumpets , with its fierce rhythmic motifs and vast range of dynamics, was a powerful statement.