I’m going to deal with this year’s Mozartfest fairly quickly because I have quite a backlog to get through (I’m writing this some time after the event, as with rather too many blog entries this year). This year the Festival largely took place in the Assembly Rooms, and ignored the Guildhall.
After some dithering about going to any concerts, I nipped out to a lunchtime performance by the Doric Quartet, sometime quartet in residence at the Wiltshire Music Centre down the road. Their programme comprised Beethoven’s String Quartet in A major Op 18 No 5 (which I last heard a couple of years ago) and Schumann’s String Quartet in A major Op 41 No 3 (less familiar to me). The performances were enjoyable and the concert well attended.
Others went to hear the Cuarteto Casals and Adrian Brendel on the Saturday morning (my favourite time but it didn’t work for this festival). They played Beethoven String Quartet No 9 in C major Op 59 No 3, the most lightweight of his mature quartets, treating it rather is if it were Haydn. Schubert’s String Quintet in C major D956, with its renowned slow movement, got a more serious and intense performance.
In a previous visit the members of this needed to keep in close communication with one another. This time they differed markedly in demeanour with a deadpan viola player, an amused cellist, an animated and mobile 2nd violin, while the 1st violin kept an eye on things. Nevertheless they produced a blended sound.