Enriching the local concert scene is the series of lunchtime concerts presented every fortnight on Tuesdays at St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta.
The latest on January 25 was well attended, during which works by the very talented young composer from Gozo, Mariella Cassar, were performed. This young woman expresses her work in an interesting, direct and very fresh, approachable musical language.
It is a pity many shy away from certain concerts simply because of the ‘contemporary’ tag. Because of unfamiliarity, the listener has to be prepared for any eventuality.
It is fair to say new works deserve more than one hearing to be fully appreciated. The composer knows what he wants and the musicians who perforce study and rehearse the new scores are in an advantageous position vis-à-vis the audience.
Once a composer writes the music which he wants the public to enjoy, it is imperative that the latter should be guided as to what the message is and where the composer wants to go, and the means by which this is attempted, even if some titles are self-explanatory.
If as in the case of this concert there were no programme notes, the composer ought to have introduced the works. Maybe not all composers are necessarily good speakers, so out of a number of performers involved in this case, surely one could have given it a try.
The highly accomplished performers were the Lang Quartet, consisting of David Lang and Emese Toth (violins), Ina Georgieva (viola), Jacob Portelli (cello), Esmeralda Camilleri (harp) and Sofia Narmania (piano), who performed in various combinations.
All the works were brief and to the point with no unnecessary meandering.
If Gaudos was introduced by the long and solemn cello entry, joined later by the violins in a rather melancholic passage, the mood and rhythm changed suddenly to dance-like, in which the harp joined in with decisively energetic and joyful passage, followed by the instruments indulging in a beautiful lyrical them leading to the soft ending.
To You included an electronic keyboard simulating the celesta which with harp endowed the opening section with a mysterous atmosphere.
The work’s romantic feel was accentuated by the expansiveness of a section for harp, cello and celesta, and later with an even warmer theme projected together with the viola until it led to an eerily delicate ending.
Pretty much in the same mood but expressed by means of just the string quartet was Heartstrings I, where most of the thematic material was introduced by the cello and extended further to the other hushed strings.
In mid-section there was a contrasting change of tempo whereby an energetic drive was the order of the day.
This then gave way to a more sober and elegiac outpouring ending with an undulating outpouring of arpeggio by the first violin.
Opus I was the only work for solo piano on the programme, introduced by a number of quasi-obsessive soft chords which created a serene almost enervating atmosphere.
This made the faster mid-section sound more turbulent before the music moved to a more reflective plane. The notes tolled away, giving the work a dirge-like tint and which faded away rather mysteriously.
The last work performed, Reflections, was for harp, two violins and cello.
There was again the alternating of moods from the eight-note first theme introduced by a violin to the much-charged vivacious mid-section, which was a bit reminiscent of a similar passage in Gaudos.
The change of mood was abrupt, back to a slow pace, almost as if there were after-thoughts after having let go so much and back to some more contrasting episodes in which the harmonic progressions were highly interesting and effective.