The London Philharmonic Orchestra Chamber Ensemble Ensemble Concert Review
For the second concert in the season Music @ Ardingly, Ardingly College welcomed the London Philharmonic Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, a group formed of musicians who play with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The ensemble includes former Ardingly pupil and cellist Pavlos Carvalho and on this occasion they were also joined by the talented Haywards Heath based pianist Andrew Quartermain. The large and enthusiastic audience was treated to a fine concert featuring two masterpieces of the chamber music repertoire, the Brahms and Schumann Piano Quintets.
The concert began with a spacious and nuanced performance of Bach's First Cello Suite by Pavlos Carvalho. Bach's masterly ability to create rich textures from just one instrument was fully exploited by Carvalho, with the long lines lovingly sustained in the Prelude and Sarabande, helped by the Chapel's generous acoustic. The dance rhythms came to the fore in the faster movements, especially in the joyous rendition of the final Gigue.
To end the first half the group performed Brahms' mighty Piano Quintet in F minor, a work of symphonic proportions that demands great stamina and virtuosity from all the players. The LPO players tackled the work with relish, bringing out the drama and lyricism of the first movement. The lyricism of the serene Andante was fully exploited, followed by a suitably rhythmic Scherzo. The complexities of the last movement were effectively integrated into the overall conception of the work, with all the musicians playing with rhythmic energy and contrapuntal subtlety.
In the second half we were treated to Schumann's Quintet, a less turbulent work than the Brahms but still full of drama and lyricism. The opening movement was notable for the interplay between the instruments, demonstrating the evident enjoyment these musicians find in performing together. The mood of the sinister second movement was immediately captured, with Robert Duncan's viola playing being particularly telling. The Scherzo was deftly negotiated before the joyous final movement released all the tensions in a final blaze of glory.
