Thus uttered Count Orsini the famous phrase in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. So did the audience that was present at Palazzo De Piro in Mdina for an Evening of Chamber Music, organised by breast cancer support group Europa Donna Malta to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Taking part in the concert was the Argotti Ensemble, formed in 2012 and consisting of talented musicians whose aim is to enhance the ensemble’s quality and to expand its repertoire.
On this occasion, the Argotti Ensemble, which includes a chamber orchestra, was represented by a string quartet made up of Nemanja Ljubinkovic and Maria Conrad on the violin, Aueliano Balducci on the viola and Akos Kertesz on the cello.
These are four excellent musicians who showed their worth throughout the evening.
This very enjoyable concert of chamber music included works by Mozart, Dvorak and Joplin, thus taking us on a long journey stretching from 1772 to the beginning of the 20th century.
The first work was the Divertimento in F, composed by a young, just-turned-16 Mozart who wrote it in 1772. The Divertimento is in three movements with two very sprightly outer ones, beautifully scored for strings.
The second movement, the Andante, has a very Italianate and lyrical ambience, a result of the composer’s visit to Milan to produce his opera Lucio Silla. The last movement, Presto, presents a lovely episode in minor key.
The evening continued with the String Quartet No. 12 Op 96, known as the American, composed by Antonin Dvorak. This four-movement work uses the pentatonic scale very profusely.
The first theme of the first movement is introduced by the viola, with the other instruments presenting a very vibrant chord. The second theme is also pentatonic in character with many Gypsy and Czech ornamentations.
These give the work a more dramatic feel which continues in the second movement. It is this movement which is mostly associated with Negro spirituals and Indian chants. The simple melody is introduced by the second violin, and at the start of this work Conrad changed places with Ljubinkovic, who took over the leadership of the quartet. The third movement is an agitated scherzo, while the fourth and last one is a rondo which very obviously suited Nemanja beautifully. It also suited the other three players, and the audience applauded after every movement, which shouldn’t have happened really.
The last works presented were Three Ragtimes by Scott Joplin, the African-American composer who became known as the King of Ragtime. Rag music was in fashion at the end of the 19th century and its most common trait was syncopated or ragged (rag) rhythm, extremely popular in New Orleans and St Louis. It incorporated African polyrhythms, thus finding a ready audience in the inhabitants of these two large areas.
When Joplin died in 1917, ragtime died with him. Even his very famous The Entertainer was completely forgotten, although revived in the 1940s, 1950s and later on in the 1970s, when it was even nominated for a Grammy award.
The Argotti Ensemble presented three ragtimes – The Strenuous Life, Antoinette and The Entertainer – which were well received by all present.
This enjoyable evening was held under the patronage of President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
The Breast Care Support Group is on 2148 2602/9999 4666 or e-mail to info@europadonnamalta.org.mt.