At the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry, the Signum Quartet showcased an unexpected number; the first string quartet written by Schubert when he was just 13 years old. Unlike works by child geniuses like Mozart and Mendelssohn, it’s not straightforwardly brilliant. The ideas it contains seem haphazardly arranged, perhaps indicating the young composer’s difficulty in resuming where he had paused before. This piece tends to appear only in full collections, whether live or recorded. Curiously, it was the opening act of an otherwise Schubert-free performance by the quartet at St Brendan’s Church on Sunday.
Earlier, on Friday at Bantry House, the Signum Quartet played Schubert’s final string quartet, D887 in G major. This piece, always outshone by its more universally-known and simpler precursor, the Death and the Maiden Quartet, is substantially long – 1577 bars compared to 1424 (excluding repeats), and even longer in terms of playtime.
The performance of the Signum Quartet was striking in its flawless clarity. Their understated playing allowed each instrument’s line to be distinguishable, with passages of the quartet being showcased in beautifully sensitive tones that couldn’t be achieved at louder volumes.
The subtlety of their music made sure that nothing was exaggerated, and the extraordinary detailed execution was nothing short of breathtaking. It was a rendition of the quartet that was engaging throughout. The link to Schubert’s teenaged composition? It served to underline the raw talent and potential present from the young composer’s early days, linking the unrefined teenager’s work to the accomplished composer’s mature offering.
This past weekend was certainly marked with some unforgettable musical highlights, one of which was Beethoven’s late Quartet in B flat, Op. 130. This particular quartet, known for its initial ending with the intricately complex Grosse Fuge, was performed flawlessly by the Chiaroscuro Quartet on Sunday, a band famed for playing while standing up. The group’s rendition of Beethoven was consumed with an ethereal beauty that competed with, if not surpassed, the Signum’s interpretation of Schubert.
Both ensembles displayed a shared ambition to break away from traditional methods of performance, embarking on a fresh approach in which they distanced themselves from the customary string-playing norms that have dominated for the past century. The Chiaroscuro Quartet presented Beethoven in an astonishingly innovative, light-footed vibrato – arguably the most delicate configuration in this category to date. This style of performance is absolutely riveting; no element feels superfluous, with each discord sharply emphasised. There is a clear decrease in resolution, yet a heightened sense of wonder. The entire piece has been tightened and sharpened, making it sound simultaneously comforting and extraordinary.
Apart from these stellar performances, the weekend also presented a series of Beethoven’s violin and piano sonatas, performed by Fanny Clamagirand and Roustem Saitkoulov. This sequence of performances was rather unpredictable, often evoking a sense of somewhat cacophonous conversation between the musicians; the pianist often seemed to overpower the violinist. Significantly different from the careful balances maintained by the Signum and Chiaroscuro Quartets, these moments were especially noticeable when it appeared as though Beethoven’s dynamic markings were dismissed as mere suggestions. The duo shone brightest during their rendition of the highly energised Kreutzer Sonata, during which they managed to invoke profound emotional depth during the mellower moments.
The Nightingale Quartet from Denmark also left a lasting mark over the weekend, impressing with their polished performance of Smetana’s Quartet No 1 (From My Life). Their outstanding interpretation of the slow movement was particularly captivating, demonstrating pure musical enchantment.
The Signum Quartett presented two pieces from their current series, “Bridging the chasms that divide” in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of apartheid’s conclusion. Neo Muyanga’s eMthini we Mbumba, on first listen, appeared rather tame, while 21.30 by Dizu Plaatjies and Matthijs van Dijk boasted an immediate, countrylike charm.
The Faithful Gazelle, a recently composed piece by Roxanna Panufnik in 2021, allowed previously suppressed voices to resonate as well. This composition arose during the initial stages of the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, a time marked by overwhelming helplessness felt by many.
Composed for clarinet and a string quartet (including Matthew Hunt and Signum Quartett), her work pays tribute to Afghan culture by weaving an Afghan-style musical narrative. The members of the quartet enhanced the performance by wearing anklet bells as they recounted an apocryphal story revolving around a mystical gazelle and a selfish beggar who squanders the opportunity of a lifetime due to his self-absorption. The gazelle was symbolised by the graceful clarinet, while the unpolished, uncultivated cello echoed the beggar’s animalistic character.