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St. Mary's Anglican Church
April 5, 2009
"My faith is the grand drama of my life. I'm a believer, so I sing words of God to those who have no faith."
Of all the composers of the 20th century, Olivier Messiaen is the one whose music is most obviously infused by his own (Catholic) faith. His early masterpiece, the Quatuor pour le Fin du Temps (Quartet for the End of Time), is one of the few modern works which can make one feel, as did Christopher Fry listening to Bach, that the music "almost persuades me to become a Christian."
The Quartet is an extraordinary work: although it lasts for around 50 minutes, as timed by a clock, to the listener it simultaneously seems to last forever, yet to be over in an instant.
Sunday's Celebration of Chamber Music concert closed with a spectacular performance of Messiaen's only major chamber piece.
The work's multifarious rhythmic complexities were masterfully handled, with immaculate ensemble, even in the most dense passages, such as the sixth movement, "Danse furiant" for the seven trumpets.
Collectively and individually, the four players impressed with their accuracy, tonal beauty and concentration. Among many others, a few moments stand out particularly in my memory: Pamela Highbaugh Aloni's gorgeously noble playing in In Praise of the eternity of Jesus, Jamie Syer's transparent piano chords in the Vocalise, for the Angel who announces the end of Time, Keith MacLeod's miraculous playing in Abyss of the birds - in particular those remarkable single-note crescendos, which grew from a whisper to the point where the note seemed to fill not just the space but the listener as well - and Laurie Syer's magnificently intense final movement, In praise of the immortality of Jesus.
A memorable performance, to be sure.
Before the interval, the Divertenté String Quartet played the first two movements of Beethoven's Quartet Op.59. No.1 - the first of the so-called "Razumovsky" Quartets.
Given that the four members of the quartet are still in their mid-teens, this was a remarkable performance. Playing - except for the cellist - standing, the Divertenté's performance was full of life. There was a nice sense of communication between the players - their rubatos were commendably synchronised - and they displayed an impressive dynamic range.
Occasionally - as in the otherwise most impressive opening crescendo - balances were not perfect, but that was a minor (and eminently correctable) flaw to set beside their achievement.
Most impressive of all, to my ears, was the genuine sense of freshness, of innovation that they brought to the music. This is not easy music to play, but they did so much more than merely master the notes.
I greatly enjoyed their playing and greatly look forward to following their progress.
All in all, a most rewarding and gratifying afternoon's music-making.
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