Concert
Bir Miftuħ International Music Festival
Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuħ chapel
Despite the vast quantity of classical music that exists, there seems to be some unuttered consensus that classical music is a well-delineated corpus which cannot change much. There is an established repertoire from which all classically trained musicians choose to perform.
It is therefore a great pleasure when musicians rediscover a piece which has not been performed for a very long time.
That is exactly what the String Ensemble Cincievski has done in this 19th edition of the Bir Miftuħ International Music Festival, where it delighted the audience with two string quintets written by George Onslow, a French composer of English descent.
Nicknamed the French Beethoven, his works were extremely popular during this lifetime and up until the end of the 19th century, but these werelargely forgotten after World War I. Only upon the bicentenary of his birth in 1984 were his works rediscovered, and this is in all probability the first-ever performance of his string quintets in Malta.
The founder of String Ensemble Cincievski, double bass player Gjorgji Cincievski, has done considerable research to discover such forgotten repertoire and bring it to Maltese audiences.
The other members of the ensemble are Vincenzo Picone and Matteo Colombo on violin, Matthew Fenech on viola and Mario Psaila on cello.
The concert, sponsored by the Embassy of France and the Alliance Française de Malte – Méditerranée, started with Onslow’s String Quintet No. 11 in B flat, Op. 33, written in 1828 and premiered along with Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides.
This work featured an interesting tonal palette: from double bass pizzicato to the cello’s lyric melodies, to flourishes on the first violin, while the second violin supported the higher notes of the first and the viola’s tone collated the extreme registers of the ensemble.
The first movement, Allegro con brio, is very technically demanding but nevertheless has very catchy melodic material.
The bulk of virtuosity lies in the first violin, and Picone did an excellent job out of it.
The movement engaged in very convincing conversation among the instruments, and the ensemble managed to convey the required impetus effectively.
The second movement, Andante maestoso, which relies on long scale-like phrases, was effectively realised, with Cincievski drawing some very beautiful lyric tones from the double bass.
The third movement, Minuetto non troppo presto, again featured some breathtaking virtuoso passages on the first violin.
The last movement of the work, Finale, Allegro grazioso, featured very warm passages on the second violin and cello, while the first violin’s virtuosity gave way to lyricism.
The second half of the concert consisted of Onslow’s String Quintet No. 12 in A minor, Op. 34. The cello opens the first movement, Allegro; the solemn mood is quickly forgotten as the other instruments join in. The second theme of the movement also starts on the cello but in a happier Major mode.
The ensemble meticulously executed the graceful diminuendos and articulation of the second movement, Minuetto. The surprising accelerandos at the end were also impressive. The Adagio espressivo starts off with carpet-like long chords against the elegant pizzicato of the double bass, which provides walking-bass-like contrast with the other strings. Although this work was one of the very first quintets where Onslow replaced the second cello with a double bass, his bassline is completely idiomatic for the instrument.
The syncopated pizzicato bass-line provided formidable contrast for Finale, Allegro non troppo presto. The whole ensemble then proceeded in a syncopated rhythm and accelerated towards the end to a memorable conclusion.
The chapel of Santa Marija ta’ Bir Miftuħ, with its long history of alterations and deterioration until its recent restoration, provided the perfect setting for the performance of these rediscovered works.
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The edition of the Bir Miftuħ International Music Festival continues on Saturday.
The Italian Cultural Institute under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy is presenting Musica Nova Duo (violin-guitar) with Massimo de Bonfils of Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Luca Minervino.
The last concert, being held on June 13, will feature Liat Cohen on guitar and Eyal Ein Habar on flute. The concert is being sponsored by the Embassy of Israel.
• Tickets for the concerts, which start at 8pm, may be obtained from Din l-Art Ħelwa by phone 2122 5952 or by sending an e-mail to info@dinlarthelwa.org.