The String Quartet Finals were the culmination of a series of concerts, presented as part of the 2013 Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition, that have been enjoyed around Australia for several days, thanks to ABC FM radio. Appropriately, the concerts began in the Iwaki Auditorium, a happy reminder of an important musical relationship between Australia and its Asia-Pacific neighbors. As former chief conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the late Maestro Hiroyuki Iwaki made a significant contribution to orchestral music in Australia as well as creating an ongoing link between Australia and Japan.
Sunday’s concerts, comprising the Piano Trio Final in the afternoon and the String Quartet final in the evening, were dedicated to the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, who generously provided the major prize money. Again, the venue being the hall named in her honour could not have been more appropriate.
It might have seemed inevitable, with synchronicity at work, that the Amber Quartet should win the quartet prize with a work by Debussy on Bastille Day. The decision, however, was not based on the playing of the two groups on the night, but on their performances throughout the competition. Given that only one work was performed by each quartet on the final night, this is a much fairer and more sensible approach.
Formed in 2007, the Amber Quartet’s two female violinists and male violist and cellist played as a unified whole as well as demonstrating their abilities as talented individuals in command of an impressive range of subtle colour gradations and emotional expression. On Sunday night, this was seen to best effect in the Andantino movement of Debussy’s String Quartet. Earlier rounds had also revealed them to be an experienced and highly skilled chamber ensemble.
Special mention was made of their performance of Zhang Zhao’s First String Quartet ‘Totem’ for which they were awarded The Hamer-Tribe Trust Prize for best performance of a contemporary work. The Amber Quartet were also the recipients of The Monash University Grand Prize, which offers the winners a head start towards an international career in chamber music by providing a number of engagements in Australia and abroad. Anybody reading their credentials will realize that they already have a head start; nevertheless, this prize certainly provides a valuable boost to their careers.
The Orava Quartet was also founded in 2007, in Sydney, and has already accrued a number of impressive credits. They are currently studying with the Takács Quartet as graduate quartet in residence at Colorado University. An all male ensemble, the Orava Quartet has a distinctive way of being physically set up on stage. They choose the less usual conformation of cello and viola in reversed positions, with the first violin and viola turned out more towards the audience. It is debatable as to how well this works. Certainly, the intimacy between the players is given less physical expression and the tendency towards playing to the audience as individuals sometimes undermines a sense of the unity of the music. It can be a visual interruption to the flow.
Whatever reservations one might have, it has to be said that this quartet makes a wonderful sound as a whole and as individual players. The viola playing of Thomas Chawner was particularly enjoyable and I am looking forward to hearing the Orava Quartet’s next concert just on the basis of hearing him. Mendelssohn’s beautiful String Quartet No 2 was an excellent choice, enabling the players to demonstrate their many musical and technical skills. They invested such drama and sensitivity in the Adagio non lento that the audience responded with a ‘semi standing ovation’, as Emma Ayres put it. Although both quartets were greatly appreciated, it really came as no surprise that the Oravo Quartet was awarded The Peter Druce Audience Prize. Further support for this quartet came in the form of The Musica Viva Prize, designed to further their musical growth.
There is no doubt that the quadrennial Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition is a valuable component of Melbourne’s musical calendar. Chamber Music Australia, with Julian Burnside as Chair, and the Melbourne Recital Centre have brought a festival of chamber music to Melbourne, not just a competition. It is a celebration of artistic and musical excellence that enhances the cultural life of Australians and our Asia-Pacific friends.
2013 Asia-Pacific Chamber Music Competition
Elisabeth Murdoch String Quartet Finals
Amber Quartet (China)
Orava String Quartet (Australia)
DEBUSSY String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10 (Amber Quartet)
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet No 2 in A minor Opus 13 (Orava)
Melbourne Recital Centre
14 July 2013 7pm
