It has been said that the brass ensemble was far superior to its vocal counterpart. A tough call, considering the voice is considered to be the first and most versatile of instruments. However, the American Brass Quintet certainly lived up to this claim last night, with a program traversing works from the Renaissance period to those written by the most acclaimed contemporary composers.
Perhaps some audience members might have been annoyed that the first notes of the performance were an unabashed appeal for donations. But this was not a canvass so much as a celebration of Musica Viva and the ensemble that was about to grace the stage. From the opening remarks of CEO Mary Jo Capps’ speech, the audience gushed with delight. Capps announced that after four decades the American Brass Quintet had returned to Australian shores. Not only was it to perform in most capital cities, but it would also provide an array of educational workshops and master classes. The hall filled with murmurs of admiration, a testament to Musica Viva’s programming and initiative.
When the troupe of brass players finally made it on stage, listeners were serenaded by the most glorious and stately of tunes. So homogenous was the wall of sound during In Gabrieli’s Day, that it was as if the musicians were impersonating the pipe organ. Then, in homage to their host country, the quintet performed Miniature Suite written by William Lovelock, an English composer and pedagogue who spent many years in Brisbane.
David Sampson’s Chesapeake, equal parts tumultuous and soothing, closed the first half. The work was a fantastic example of the contributions to the brass catalogue, for which the quintet is known. The intermission hardly seemed twenty minutes long, what with Bennelong Brass entertaining revelers on the upper floor of the Recital Hall. Time flew, and suddenly Maurer’s Five Pieces were masquerading throughout the hall – a charming selection of 19th Century ‘parlour’ tunes.
Monteverdi’s Three Madrigals defied the laws of physics, with a teasing trip back to the 16th century. Then, the spectacular Copperwave by American composer Joan Tower. Where so many contemporary composers fail, Tower creates a piece that is both impossibly academic and listenable. Like a mouse running inside its cage, the audience is drawn through a series of recurring vignettes into a heart-pumping wheel of motion.
The residual notes dissipate from the highest alcoves, and audience members dash from the auditorium. While it seems to have become the norm for City Recital Hall audiences to leave before applauding their artist, it will never cease to be insufferably rude. As trumpeter Kevin Cobb playfully jibed ‘clearly they didn’t think we had anything more.’ Those who had been left cringing by their fellow audience members’ lack of courteousness were rewarded by a final brevity.
Let’s hope that it won’t be four decades until the American Brass Quintet’s next visit.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
American Brass Quintet
Musica Viva
Trumpet: Kevin Cobb
Trumpet: Louis Hanzlik
Horn: Eric Reed
Trombone: Michael Powell
Bass trombone: John D Rojak
City Recital Hall, Angel Place
www.cityrecitalhall.com
19 May – 31 May
