New Zealand Listener – June 08, 2019

A COMEDY OF

LOVE, LAUGHS &

HAIRBRAINED

SCHEMES.

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6 JUNE – 7 AUGUST

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The Barber

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JUNE 8 2019 LISTENER

T

he New Zealand String Quartet

completes its three-CD Brahms

project with the release of his two

string quintets. The

addition of a second viola,

played here by American

violist Maria Lambros,

allows the composer to fea-

ture the glowing alto tones

of a sometimes-overlooked

instrument. Brahms and

the five musicians revel

in the opulent harmonies

available.

The disc reverses the order, opening

with the more emotionally complex String

Quintet No 2, plunging the listener into

the expanses of Brahms’ gorgeous melodic

flow. The musicians maintain momentum

throughout the substantial first move-

ment and in the expressive second; the

lighter delights of the third and a cheery

final rondo are based on a Hungarian folk

dance or csárdás.

The genial harmonies of the String Quin-

tet No 1 then offer even richer textures and

soaring viola solos. Brahms has a great ear

for subtleties of timbre and creates a multi-

coloured conversation, alternately darkly

passionate and sunny as birdsong.

This is the first release by the NZSQ

since the arrival of new second violinist

Monique Lapins, and the warm inner

voices of Lambros and violist Gillian

Ansell are offset by a well-matched pairing

of Lapins with first violinist Helene Pohl.

All threads are beautifully

gathered over the sonorous

cello of Rolf Gjelsten.

For this recording, the

NZSQ returned to the

superb acoustics of St

Anne’s Church in Toronto

and their favourite record-

ing team of Norbert Kraft

and Bonnie Silver. Together,

they achieve a magical

clarity of individual line and a synthesis of

almost symphonic impact. l

Brahms String Quintets Nos 1 and 2, New

Zealand String Quartet and Maria Lambros,

viola (Naxos)

Second that

emotion

A new string

combination aces

Brahms’ quintets.

CLASSICAL

by Elizabeth Kerr

A

s much as a new SJD offering ought

to inspire joy and hopes of a long

evening of listening pleasure, Minia-

tures 1 is a million miles away from Sean

James Donnelly’s glorious, indulgent com-

positions such as Superman You’re Crying or

Helensville.

These 17 tracks check in at between 59

and 90 seconds each and are sold as brief

experimental provocations – “short songs

for even shorter attention spans”. And,

certainly, they represent a bold artistic

response to Donnelly’s self-imposed chal-

lenge to distil an audience’s expectation

of lyrical and musical cohesion into some

essential liquor. The trouble is, they also

pile up against each other to create 20

minutes of disjointed, stylistically con-

fused listening.

The beauty of a 16th- or 17th-century

miniature portrait is that it is a jewel – a

precise, intimate and intricate piece of art

that stands alone. And, individually, Don-

nelly’s miniatures act as cheeky narrative

sketches, especially opener Lava Lamp,

Paracetamol, The Corner at Half-Five and

the Flight of the Conchords-esque Brand

Nu Car. But, too often, the frustration of

being jilted just as the groove kicks in, or

by a missed punchline, or a theme not

fully explored undercuts the artistic merit.

This first collection (and, yes, Miniatures

2 is on its way) offers glimpses of great

ideas, but ultimately fails to present them

in a cohesive or enjoyable format. l

MINIATURES 1, SJD (Universal)

Bit-part player

SJD’s latest is full of

good ideas, but there’s

a tiny problem.

ALBUM REVIEW

by James Belfield