On Saturday, March18 Rye Creative Centre hosted the latest in this year’s Bridgepoint Music concert series. The event deployed the seven players required for Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet in various different groupings, allowing for a real musical feast. At the core of the programme was Mozart’s celebrated Clarinet Quintet, on this occasion featuring Matt Glendening as the woodwind virtuoso. His soft tonguing and admirable breath control allowed him seamlessly to insinuate his melodic lines into the string texture; and it was lovely to hear the slow movement played at a genuinely ‘piano’ level.
The other work featured in the first half was Albert Roussel’s Serenade for flute, string trio and harp, unmistakably French in its jaunty, rather jagged outer movements and silky, sinuous central ‘andante’. This was the first piece of the evening calling on harpist Bryn Lewis, whose mastery of the instrument and musical sensitivity were wonderful to see and hear throughout.
After the interval came Sain-Saëns’ Fantasie for violin and harp. What impressed here was the musical interplay of the two performers, and one of the winning features of the whole concert was the obvious delight and understanding shared by all members of the ensemble, demonstrated, as here, by glance and gesture. It is much more usual to hear the piano accompanying the violin but the pairing with the harp allowed for very different effects and tonal mixtures.
Finally, all the instrumentalists assembled for the Ravel, sweeping the audience away with what is, in effect, a mini harp concerto. The piece was originally commissioned to show off the chromatic capabilities of the then newly-developed Érard harp and this glittering interpretation found a wonderful balance between strings, woodwind and harp.
Rye is so lucky to have on its doorstep both the creative centre with its excellent acoustic, and this series of concerts given by first-rank musicians. At a time in this country when classical music-making appears to be under siege these musicians and the concert organisers deserve our committed support to ensure that our town can continue to be a beacon of performing-arts excellence.
Image Credits: Kt Bruce .