Concerts et Rencontres Champêtres á Abercorn with Le Quatuor d’I Musici at Église Anglicane, August 1, 2015.
ABERCORN, QUEBEC – Can there be anything more lovely than hearing a fine string quartet concert on a perfect summer’s day in Eastern Québec? Well, perhaps the pews were a bit hard on the backside and it did get a bit stuffy indoors, but this is mere quibbling; clearly the capacity audience of about 150 loved what they heard and seemed to be equally delighted with where they heard it.
This concert marked the third anniversary of this tiny music festival –three concerts programmed over one weekend – in a most unlikely place. Abercorn, which is only a few kilometres from the Vermont border to the south, and not far from the much larger community of Sutton, going north, is barely a town at all – only 391 people live there according to the latest census – and seems to be best-known these days for its bakery.
Having summered in Sutton for more than 50 years, my wife and I are closely attuned to artistic ventures in the region and wholeheartedly applaud the creators of Concerts et Rencontres Champêtres á Abercorn (CRCA). These are obviously people with a passion for the arts and a strong sense of what the market will bear.
A few years ago, some equally passionate arts lovers kicked off the Knowlton Festival in nearby Lac-Brome and went broke within a few years. They made the fatal mistake of not only thinking big but going all out in the inaugural seasons with dozens of concerts by the Orchestra symphonique de Montréal and world-class soloists. By comparison, CRCA is a mere bagatelle but one that is near-perfect in its construction and realization. Bravo!
While music is the main thrust of the festival, attention is paid to the other arts as well. This year the tapestries of Danielle Moreau (France) and the paintings of Robert Roussil (Québec) were displayed in the church during performances as well as in the Galerie Art Plus in Sutton.
Renowned Québecois composer François Dompierre was invited to introduce this year’s concerts and at one of the three concerts, pianist Serhiy Salov played Dompierre’s 24 Preludes. I didn’t hear that concert but was present at the string quartet concert which was introduced by Dompierre and at the end of which one of his works was played as an encore. More about that later.
I Musici de Montréal was founded by cellist Yuli Turofsky in 1983 and he remained at the helm for 27 years. With failing health, he stepped down in 2011 and was replaced by Jean-Marie Zeitouni. The chamber orchestra continues to present excellent concerts in Montreal and beyond. Concertmaster Julie Triquet also leads Le Quatuor d’I Musici.
On the basis of what I heard in Abercorn, theLe Quatuor d’I Musici is an excellent ensemble. In a remarkably varied program, they showed that they are at home in many musical styles. The early Mozart quartet – Mozart was 16 when he wrote it – was the epitome of classical refinement and grace, while Dvořák‘s American Quartet featured a far greater dynamic range, appropriate to its late-romantic style. Although this was a first-rate performance, I believe a slower tempo for the second subject in the first movement would have allowed its depth of feeling to register more fully.
Then came Philip Glass’ String Quartet No. 2 “Company”, originally composed for Samuel Beckett’s novella by that name. I must confess that I continue to be baffled by this composer’s success; I hear little more than repetitious noodling in most of his pieces, and this nine-minute quartet was more of the same. Coming after the Mozart and Dvořák, it sounded like a student work – not a very talented student, at that.
After intermission, Le Quatuor d’I Musici played their version of excerpts from Bach’s Goldberg Variations. One of Bach’s great masterpieces, the piece was originally composed for a two-manual or two keyboard harpsichord. Later performances were often given on a harpsichord or a modern grand piano (most notably by pianist Glenn Gould).
Given the differences between a harpsichord and a piano, playing the Goldberg Variations on a grand piano involves “transcription,” and so it is not surprising that transcriptions have been attempted for other instruments and combinations of instruments as well. One of the most successful of these was for string trio by violinist Dimitri Sitkovetsky. Bernard Labadie also did a transcription for his orchestra, Les Violons du Roy. The members of Le Quatuor d’I Musici drew on these versions, as well as on several others to create their own transcription of the Goldberg Variations. Although violist Anne Beaudry had very little to play in some of the variations, the version presented in Abercorn was a consistently logical musical compilation.
Julie Triquet is a former member of Les Violons du Roy, and her command of historically informed performance practice was very much on display. Playing open strings wherever possible, she used vibrato sparingly, executed the elaborate ornamentation with total confidence and played with the most amazing beauty of tone and expression.
All four members of Le Quatuor d’I Musici must have put in many long hours individually and as an ensemble to produce this level of performance. This rendition was not only a joy to hear, but also gave listeners new insight into the contrapuntal mysteries of the Goldberg Variations.
Le Quatuor d’I Musici generously provided a “gem” of an encore after a long and demanding programme. Par Quatre Chemins (Four Paths) by François Dompierre, unlike the Glass piece, had every right to be in the company of Mozart, Dvořák and Bach. Sounding like a lullaby with a soothing melody and gentle accompaniment, it was an ideal complement to what had come before.
Concerts et Rencontres Champetres a Abercorn is a delightful addition to the music scene in the Eastern Townships. But buyers beware! The Anglican Church in Abercorn is not getting any bigger and more music-lovers than ever now know what a treat these concerts and related events can be. Get your tickets well in advance or miss out on some of the most satisfying experiences one can imagine on a summer’s afternoon or evening.
#LUDWIGVAN
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