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She played Mozart as he did

The Linos ensemble reviewed by Gwen Herat

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The timing was excellent for Goethe Institute when they presented the classical excerpts from the icons at Bishop's Auditorium to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations in Sri Lanka. The composers for the evening were Detlev Muller-Siemens (b1957) Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1719) and Jean Francaix (1912-1997).

The ten member Linos ensemble had:

Winifred Redemacher (violin) Professor, Academy of Music - Trossingen

Sidsel Garm Nielsen (violin) 1st Violin - Hamburg State Orchestra

Mathias Bucholz (viola) Proessor, Academy of Music - Cologne

Mario Blaumer (violoncello) Solo-Cellist, Radio Symphony Orchestra, Saabrucken

Jorg Linowitzki (double bass) Professor, Academy of Music - Lubeck

Kersten McCall (flute) Solo flautist, Radio Symphony Orchestra - Saarbruker

Klaus Becker (oboe) Professor, Academy of Music and Theatre - Hannover

Raine Muller-van Recum (clarinet) Solo clarinet, Radio Symphony Orchestra-Saabrucker

Georg Klutsch (bassoon) Professor Academy of Music - Cologne

Joachim Bansch (horn) Solo horn player, Radio Symphony Orchestra - Stutthart

Guest Artists (piano) Professor Constance Eickherst from the Academy of Music - Karnerover.

None in the audience would have protested for replacing Christine Back with Amadeus Mozart which was originally in the programme for some reason or the other. Infact, the audience went into raptures the moment Prof. Constance Eickhorst began caressing the keyboard. As we all know in Mozart's scoring, the piano is in charge, the medium through which Mozart built his classical empire.

She hit the bars exactly how Mozart would have when he was at his piano. There was nothing left for imagination because of her flawless quality. From her gentle finger-tip touch to the thundering crescendo, she took the audience on a romantic journey back to the composer's era. I felt the vibrating senses reaching me the way it did to the audience, especially to Prof. Ashley and Bridget Halpe who were seated next to me who are great musicians along with their daughters who play in the Philharmonic Orchestra.

She took charge of the piano in the confidence of an academic and the audience was truly spellbound but not without the backing of a spectacular ensemble, each on his own an expert on his individual instrument. The Linos Ensemble with their abundant musical wealth packed to the brim, mesmerised music lovers who thronged into the auditorium.

It was an evening to remember with speciality experts of instrumentalists who would have appealed individually to many in the audience as much as I enjoyed the piano and double bass, would have discovered the classical excerpts marvellous. I for one fancied flautist kersten McCall who handled his instrument with gentle care of the notes to harmonise with the rest of the ensemble but this was only on the works of Detlev Muller-Siemens and Jean Francaix.

Franz Schubert's Piano quintet in a 'The Trout' D667

This quintet mounted in five movements on double bass with piano, violin, violoncello, double bass and cello to fully harmonise the score, the Linos Ensemble reflected the happy theme that Schubert intended from it. Quintets were unknown around 1819 the period he wrote this marvellous score and is evidently based from the Piano Quintet in D minor Op. 74 by Hummel. The sensitive arranegement of composition gives rise to the spirit of serenades when at a tender age of 22 he found it so easy to captivate the sensuality among strings and their blending. No particular instrument is allowed to dominate in the five movements except for fantasy for violin and piano.

The Trout Quintet was published in 1829. The familar name for this delightful piece of music has a story behind it that inspired Schubert to compose.

The variation movement on Schubert's own song Die Forelle D550 tells us the fate of a little trout caught up in an anglor's rod and struggled for its life but was in no danger from the angler as long as the water was clear but the fish was muddied and died to the regret the poet Paumgartner who requested Schubert to have the theme for his variation. A sprighty theme emerged from the Linos Emsemble after a subdued search when the strings evoked an atmosphere of vivacity in the first 25 bars of the Allegro Vivace.

But nothing was possible to achieve that perfection if not for the masterly strokes of Jorg Linowitzki on the double bass. One could feel his domineering influence on the other instruments who were inspired and responded with equal aplomb. They all related to each other wonderfully.

Detlev Muller-Seimens born in 1957 had his own Variations on a landler composed by Franz Schubert and the evening's performance of it had the flute, oboe, cello, double bass, horn, bassoon, clarinet, two violins and viola. Their full throttled display achieved what they wanted to; woke up the audience with a bang. The ten member ensemble, appeared in all only for this Schubert variation. These scores replaced J. C. Bach's works that were on the programme for an unavoidable reason by the organisers but I was truly disappointed because I am very passionate about Bach's music.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Quintet in E flat K452

It was like Mozart from somewhere sent Prof. Constance Eikhorst to debut his music in Sri Lanka 'live'. One could feel the audience sitting up no sooner began to hit the piano. She deserved a better piano and better stage presentation, not tucked away behind the other performers. I had to strain and almost look from between the performers to see how lovingly and expertly she caressed the keys. Her touch was fluid.

With ease, she covered the octaves and fluidly extracted each note from each key, harmonising with rest of the instruments at play on stage. This highly acclaimed professor from one of the leading academies in Germany, is a virtuoso at the keyboards; Professor Constance Eikhorst is a keyboard wizard often commissioned for performances in high-profile concerts.

Though Mozart essentially scored for the piano, he was attracted to the quality of the woodwind and realized the potential of these instruments when he composed and mounted his opera Idomeneo during his stay in Munich between 1780 and 81. Many believe that Mozart's sophisticated wind parts in his latter symphonies and operas may have resulted from his contact with the Manhattan Court Orchestra which he heard it play in Bavaria during its European tour.

It was possibly the best orchestra at that time and famed for its part on wind instruments. With many concertos and chamber music behind him, Mozart openly acknowledged the symphonies in Quintet E flat for the piano and wind as the turning point in his career. That is how he scored the immortal QUINTET E flat K452. He was overjoyed with his own remarkable achievement.

The Linos Ensemble had no problem in presenting its original music with a keyboard specialist running wild with the keys along with oboe, clarinet, horn and the marvellous double bass of Jorg Linowitzki.

Mozart set a high standard in music during his era and no one was able to match it. Though other composers have shared his gifts, none had been blessed with all of them. He had a phenomenal memory and innate style in judgements. They were helped by a matchless melodic invention along with a astonishingly accurate storehouse of notations in his brain. The command of his extraordinary virtuosity was unparalell in the annals of music history. Music simply flowed from him and it had only to go on paper to create the great symphonies he scored.

Mozart's last opera was commissioned by an unscrupulous impresario called Schikaneder. He did it with passion because Mozart was sure that it was going to be his last. He called it DIE ZAUBERILOTE, better known as THE MAGIC FLUTE.

Its surreal plot is evolved on the adventures of a bird-catcher, Papagero whose heart was a timeless theme on the struggle between light and darkness. It is a superficially a fairy tale or an imagination but not without deeper and complexed ritualistic undertones. THE MAGIC FLUTE rose to be one of Mozart's cleverly scored number and performed at almost in orchestral presentations but was not included in tonight's programme. Flautist Kersten McCall would have taken the audience by storm had it been included.

Mozart had many popular scores especially designed for concerts and operas and among them Symphony No. 9 'Jeunehomme' Andante, Symphony No. 17 Andante and Symphony No. 23 Andante along with Piano Concertos Unvolendete Symphony No. 8 are still very popular along with Rondo played tonight.

Shuman's Van Frendien and Symphonies No. 1 and 2 also has appeal especially for softly played scores. Schuman also scored a marvellous composition for the ballet, ROSAMUNDA.

The evening's programme also included Jean Francaix's DIXTOUR, commissioned by the Linos Ensemble which had several instruments that vibrated deliciously and played with the flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, 2 violins, viola and the double bass.

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Applause At The Wendt

The Lionel Wendt Memorial Fund has published a book to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Lionel Wendt Theatre. The book, "Applause at The Wendt" will be launched on December 12.

Applause at The Wendt is a highly entertaining book which tells of the first fifty years of the Lionel Wendt Theatre as remembered by those who took part in all manner of performances there.

Hundreds of actors, singers, dancers and musicians have performed on this stage and there is every chance that you too, were among them.

With a rare exception, all those performances were received to the sustained applause of thousands of theatre-goers in Colombo.

The productions were of light comedy, operettas, performances of ballet, both Western and those created by Chitrasena, musical recitals of Western classical music and of Indian classical music.

Serious plays took hold of the Lionel Wendt stage in the sixties and seventies, plays that explored the human condition in the language of Shakespeare or in the language of today, in English and in translation, of Berthold Brecht, plays by Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill and many others.

The Lionel Wendt Theatre became the preferred venue of Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra for his great stylised opera, Maname. Henry Jayasena found the Wendt a highly congenial place for the production of his plays in Sinhala.

Epic stories from ancient Sri Lanka were recreated for our times in English by Lucien de Zoysa and Kuru Gunawardena.

Applause at The Wendt is a collection of reminiscences of the players, producers and directors who worked there, beginning with Neumann Jubal's production of Maxim Gorgy's The Lower Depths in December 1953. These are stories of unremitting effort, of quiet achievement and of hilarious interludes; the hard work, the serious study and the fun that make up the experience of theatre. Mingling with the laughter and joy are the tears that have been shed for those who have died, some in the fullness of time, others unnaturally and out of season.

Among those who narrate the stories of their exploits on the Lionel Wendt stage are Vernon Abeysekera, Irangani Serasinghe, Shyamon Jayasinghe, Henry Jayasena, Ernest MacIntyre, Sriyantha Senaratna, Shelagh Goonewardene, Osmund Jayaratne, Lucien de Zoysa, Karl Goonesena, Lucky Wikramanayake, Kris Pullenayegam, Chris Greet, Lal Senaratne, Brian Rutnam, Tony Anghie, Carmel Raffel, Christine Tambimuttu, Michele Leembruggen and Ann Anthonis.

Their memories are embellished by journalists writing of those times - Eric Ranawaka, Douglas Seneviratne, D. C. Ranatunga, Nihal Ratnaike and Neville Weeraratne, who is also responsible for putting together this wonderful chronicle.

It has been his task too, to go into the original story of the Lionel Wendt Art Centre and the people behind it.

The story of the Wendts, Lionel and his brother Harry, Harold Peiris and George Keyt and their friends is a saga that is revealed in an exhaustive. Introduction often as entertaining as the productions on the Lionel Wendt stage.

STONE 'N' STRING

www.ppilk.com

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