Debussy String Quartet, Collins St Baptist Church, Wednesday 15th October 2014
The Debussy String Quartet played at the Collins St Baptist Church with three different pieces as part of the Melbourne Festival.The first piece was by Haydn String Quartet No 60 Op 76 No 1 which was played with fine precision and delicate nuances. I was swept away by the majesty of the music.
The second was the Australian premier of Pecou's String Quartet "Fuga del Son' that did not rely on the traditional bowing of the violin, cello or viola. Instead they used fingering, plucking, slapping, sliding, thumping, tickling and other techniques to make their instruments sing. This piece at times had a very South American feel to it and I could easily imagine the dancing in the streets to parts of this music.
The final piece by Debussy String Quartet Op 10 which reminded me of many balletic scores or BBC soundtracks. This music made my heart and soul soar as I closed my eyes and was swept away.
The only aspect which was very jarring was the viola player wearing a striped jumper while the others all wore traditional blacks. If he was cold why not wear something underneath or have a black jumper in your wardrobe? This look cheapened the look of the quartet and his worth, while we heard and saw that his skill was exceptional.
The Debussy String Quartet played with such respect of their scores and had the audience in the palm of their hands.
Overall this production gets an 8.5/10.
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