Two members of the Classical Music Group, along with other u3a members, went to the Palace Theater, Mansfield on Thursday 25th September to a chamber music concert of British music of the 20thcentury (apart from a piece by Purcell) for string quartet, with a clarinet added for two pieces.
The unique feature of the concert was that it was performed ‘in the round’, hence the name of the quartet – Ensemble 360. The audience sat on the stage of the theatre in five blocks with the performers in the middle and this lent a far greater degree of intimacy to the concert. Every expression, every note was accentuated and, of course, this meant that the musicians had no room for errors!
The linking theme seemed to be ‘phantasy’ or imagination, and the pieces mirrored this. They were short, often from the earlier years of the composers; some of them are well-known, such as Purcell, Britten and Vaughan Williams, but others less so – Holbrooke, Imogen Holst and Howells.
Although I am no great lover of chamber music, the mix was interesting and the variety of styles added interest. Almost inevitably, the concert ended with Vaughan Williams lyrical ‘The Lark Ascending’, often quoted as Britain’s favourite classical piece, and it epitomized the qualities of the ensemble, the lyrical playing and the precision of the group, with excellent solo work. All in all, an excellent concert, disappointing only in the small numbers of the audience (57). Should the ensemble return, I would encourage members of u3a to go to the concert.