Leith Ensemble, a quartet of local professional musicians performed at Olveston on Monday.
This was a recital of international standard. Tessa Petersen (violin), Heleen du Plessis (cello), Sanaz Rezai (pianoforte) and mezzo soprano Tessa Romano are familiar to Dunedin audiences.
It was such a joyful occasion to sit back and appreciate professional musical excellence in Olveston’s historic ambience.
They began with Clairieres dans le ciel (1914) by Lili Boulanger (1893-1918). A French composer, Lili had a short, sad life dying at age 24, leaving a legacy of musical compositions.
Romano’s supreme language skills were evident in delivering fast-flowing French text with emotion and compassion in rich mezzo tones, portraying heartbreak, acceptance and conclusion in three songs from the cycle.
Peterson and Rezai followed with Faure’s Violin Sonata No.1 in A Major Op.13 (1875) — four movements packed with sudden bursts of passion, cheeky pizzicati cross-rhythms and syncopation. Finale: Allegro quasi presto expressed more particularly the beauty of lyricism shining through passages of climactic chaos.
Rezai achieved international performance standard with an outstanding delivery of La valse, poeme choregraphique pour orchestre (1919) by Ravel. Originally for orchestra, Ravel later transcribed La Valse resulting in a pianoforte work of great contrasts — densely kaleidoscopic throughout.
The composer was involved in World War 1, losing many friends and the horror of war permeates fiendishly difficult four movements with resounding tumultuous bass.
The music meticulously maintains waltz tempo while swirling and dashing through random keys and syncopated textures, reaching breakneck speeds. Bravo Sanaz!
Anthony Ritchie arranged his two popular songs He moemoea and Song for this quartet, enhancing the text through orchestration. Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor Op. 32 (1894) by Anton Arensky completed the programme.
Again a work of colourful contrast, with 35 minutes’ rigorous passing of themes between instruments.
This superb recital is repeating today at 6pm.
Monday, November 17
Review by Elizabeth Bouman
