Transparent Glass: The Smith Quartet at St John's Smith Square

This Saturday afternoon concert by the Smith Quartet – the first in a two-concert series that would present the complete string quartets of Michael Nyman, including the UK première of his String Quartet no.

Five string quartets performed by four musicians – each musician with an intricate understanding of the world of new music. The Smith Quartet are well established as being the modern music quartet to hear in the United Kingdom – having commissioned over 200 new works and working with the likes of Reich, Nyman and Glass – if you are a fan of minimalism.

Do you remember when Steve Reich, “America’s greatest living composer”, came to your school concert and you performed his seminal work Clapping Music with the great man? No? Well, Joshua Kellie does. Joshua was one of the talented (and fortunate) St Paul’s School pupils chosen to perform in a concert in honour of the minimalist composer on his 75th birthday.

Pour ce troisième volet du Ring proposé en version de concert par Yannick Nézet-Séguin et l'Orchestre philharmonique de Rotterdam, c'est le plateau vocal qui brille avant tout, éclipsant l'orchestre et le chef.

Pour ouvrir la 30e édition de la manifestation deauvillaise, le violoniste et chef du Concert de la Loge a proposé un excellent triptyque Bach-Telemann-Pergolèse qui faisait allusion à des souvenirs normands.

Dans Les Nuits d'été comme dans la Cinquième Symphonie de Mahler, les interprètes ont su souligner le raffinement instrumental de l'écriture sans tomber dans la surenchère sonore.