Camerata | Heartstrings
Saturday February 25, QPAC, Brisbane
Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra presented a romantic evening of chamber music on Saturday night in the QPAC concert hall.
Heartstrings was a fitting title for a program full of warmth and passion that really tugged on our heartstrings. It brought together classical and contemporary works for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The concert opened with Frank Martin’s second etude for strings, a study in pizzicato. Camerata put their bows down and played the entire piece by plucking the strings. This was a fun and captivating way to open, featuring great energy and jazz-inspired rhythms.
Next, we heard Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. Through the four movements, it had a recurring motif that travelled around the ensemble. The piece shifted from sombre, slow passages, to increasingly passionate moments, before building to an energetic finish.
American composer Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst for string orchestra then received its Camerata debut. This piece was like an explosion of colour, like a starburst. Camerata performed the fleeting melodies, creating a rich soundscape.
Camerata then announced their Wild Card Mystery Guest as pianist Alex Raineri. Alex is a familiar face to Brisbane audiences, so it wasn’t really much of a surprise, but still enjoyable. He performed two short pieces by Aaron Copland, on solo piano.
Then, Camerata performed Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite. This piece was full of nostalgia, evoking the beauty of the Appalachian mountains landscape. It wasn’t about spring as a season, but a spring of water in the mountains. Across the eight movements, it told a story of love and life in the pioneer days.
Heartstrings made for the perfect Saturday evening, where I could relax in the company of friends and enjoy dreamy chamber music.
Photo Credit: Alex Jamieson
