Although I sing at St. Martin in the Fields on a regular basis and have been involved in many concerts there, this was my first time sitting in the audience. It certainly made me realise why this church is so popular as a platform for classical music, and it is a particularly appropriate setting for chamber music. It was hard to believe that this was in fact a competition and not a professional recital given by three accomplished chamber groups, as the standard of music making was remarkably high across the board.
The St. Martin’s Chamber Music Competition had its inauguration in 2010, and has since proved to be an invaluable career launch pad for both it winners and participants. We were treated at the end of the night to some Haydn and Beethoven played by the 2010 winners, the Piatti String Quartet. This made clear the ferociously high level of competition for the award, as the quartet played sublimely to close out the evening’s music.
First up on the competitive front was the Cremona Piano Trio, consisting of a pianist, a violinist and a cellist. The highlight of their programme for me was their finishing item, the Shostakovich Piano Trio in C Minor op 8. I’m a sucker for a bit of Shost and they played it with just the right combination of bravado and sensitivity. The Jacquin Trio, formed of a pianist, a violist and a clarinettist were up next; I enjoyed most their Hommage à Robert Schumann op 15b by Kurtág. This was comprised of five snippets of movements, and concluded with a final movement that was longer than the rest combined – it really allowed the players to shine with its wide spectrum of styles, tempi and tone colours. After the interval came the Lekker Quintet, a wind ensemble who presented a bold and daring programme of Ligeti, Kurtág and Vasks. These five seemed completely in their element with the Vasks, which suited their modern tastes perfectly, and was impressively concluded with some eerie yet perfectly tuned singing.
As the judges said in their deliberations, any of these chamber groups would have made more than a worthy winner. They eventually gave the award to the Jacquin Trio; I suspect that what may have tipped the balance was the charisma and wit of their clarinettist Jessie Grimes, who introduced the trio and their music with charm and intelligence. The audience prize, determined by paper ballot, went to the Cremona Trio.
Keep an eye out for each of these finalists, and indeed the Piatti String Quartet also. I suspect their fledgling chamber music careers will flourish off the back of participation in this prestigious competition.
Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, Mark McCloskey.
