Carducci Quartet, Churchill Music!, St John's, Churchill
There is a worrying train of thought among the general populationthat if something is run by locals it is likely to be of a parochialstandard.
Not so with local music charity Churchill Music! which isattracting top professional musicians from all over the country andturning heads everywhere within the concert and music educationbusiness.
Their latest project is a mini residency by the internationallyacclaimed Carducci Quartet (pronounced car-doo-chee).
Having given concerts in local schools, including a workshop inChurchill Community School, the string quartet ended with anoutstanding concert in St John the Baptist Church, Churchill, onSaturday evening.
They played to a near packed audience in the beautiful 12thcentury church that is gaining a name for itself for the superbconcerts that this spirited charity stages there.
The Carducci Quartet opened the concert with Mozart's HuntQuartet played with a purposefulness and jollity that was trulyuplifting.
Such is the versatility and musicianship of the Carducci thatthey moved effortlessly between playing as characterful individualvoices and sounding as one unified instrument. Next on the menu wassomething completely different - a short quartet by contemporaryAmerican composer Philip Glass. The subtly shifting soundscape ofGlass' music were mesmerising, played by the quartet to greatapplause.
Finishing the first half were two delightful ditties byShostakovich - again not a composer associated with music that'seasy on the ear but who surprised us here with his Elegy and Polka,both highly tuneful and beautiful.
Following the interval the Carducci Quartet blew us away with ahugely vivacious and immediate performance of Beethoven's StringQuartet.
They managed to capture both the Mozart-esque playfulness of thepiece as well as the melancholic undertones with huge spirit andpanache.
The Carducci are no strangers to Churchill Music! and every timethey return we see that their maturity of playing grows with theirfame without ever loosing the unwearied vivaciousness that makesthem such a joy both to watch and hear.
It is a testament to Churchill Music! and its hard won reputationfor excellence, combined with friendliness, that these stellarmusicians choose to return here while their fame grows and grows.
Gareth Jones Community correspondent
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