Review Of A Blenheim Music Circle Concert

An imaginative and demanding programme, writes Phoebe Woollam

The Heron Piano Quartet (Katarzyna Ziminska: Violin, Emily Hester: Viola, Alice Purton: ‘Cello and Alexandra Vaduva:, Piano) gave an excellent concert for the Blenheim Music Circle at the Catholic Centre in Duke’s Avenue (Nov 23).

This talented group of young musicians began playing together in 2011 and went on to win the Iva Sutton Chamber Music prize in 2012. They are experienced chamber and solo performers and have appeared in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, King’s Place, the Ernest Ansermet Studio in Geneva, the UNESCO Concert Hall in Paris, the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Musikverein in Vienna. All four are outstanding players and their choice of programme was imaginative and demanding.

The concert opened with Beethoven’s Trio for Violin, ‘Cello and Piano Op.11. and there was much to commend here; vigorous attack, sensitive cantabile and controlled phrasing. The balance suffered however because the piano lid was on a full stick which meant that the limitations of this particular piano (very resonant) made it extremely difficult for Alexandra Vaduva to match the dynamic of the other two, and consequently the piano dominated the texture throughout. This was a pity because the playing was enthusiastic and stylish.

Ravel’s Sonata for ‘Cello and Violin is an extremely demanding piece and both players rose to the occasion and gave a superb performance, coping with the technical demands of the piece and producing a wide variety of textures.

Emily Hester joined the other three players for the final item on the programme: Brahms’ Piano Quartet no. I in g minor. The playing here differed in every way from the playing in the Beethoven Trio. It was an inspired performance, assured, superbly played, well balanced and with excellent attention to the ensemble sound.

This Quartet is an accomplished group of musicians and I hope that we will hear them again very soon.

Phoebe Woollam

The next concert is on Sunday 18th January 2014
at 3.30 pm in the Chiswick Catholic Centre.
With the ‘cellist Corinne Morris
“100 Years On”

December 3, 2014