An Austrian ensemble from the Haydnstadt 'par excellence', Eisenstadt, that on the Austrian National Holiday, under the eye of the 13th prince of Esterházy de Galantha, opens the third concert of Amazing Haydn with a celebrated String Quartet by Haydn – could it be more symbolic?
For the occasion, the Haydn Chamber Ensemble was augmented with violinist Seina Matsuoka, who made it to the semi-finals of the Elisabeth Competition in 2019, and with Austrian viola player Maximilian Pammer. The Haydn Chamber Ensemble is an offshoot of the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, which has been a guest in Mechelen several times. Around cellist Hannes Gradwohl gather violinist Cornelia Löscher and pianist Luca Monti. Their biotope is Viennese Classicism and Romanticism, with a touch of the contemporary. Their signature is a fresh perspective on and respect for tradition. Their goal: to showcase the chamber music spectrum in its full splendour. And they succeeded from the very beginning with the fifth Erdödy Quartet by Haydn. 'A honeyed melody, a sparkling theme, ever-increasing pace, a restrained Cantabile, a Finale full of rousing, pointed notes...' Everything the programme notes had promised was there.
The piano added
Who, in the magnificent Sint-Janskerk, already knew the short, charming Allegretto WoO 39 by Beethoven? Few perhaps. Who certainly knew it was Maximiliane Brentano, although she was only ten. To encourage his 'dear little friend Maxe with her piano studies', the young forty-year-old Beethoven wrote both this gem and later his Piano Sonata No. 30. To look forward to was Rachmaninov's Trio élégiaque. Beyond the term 'ethereal theme' and the many performance instructions from the composer himself, every description pales compared to the notes with which Rachmaninov commemorated the death of his beloved mentor. An intense early tribute to all the deceased, whom we shall soon place flowers for again.
Equally poignant, equally beautiful was the Notturno by Schubert. A finely balanced confrontation of three top musicians. The blonde Cornelia Löscher, who at eighteen made her solo debut with the First Violin Concerto by Paganini at the Mozarteum. In her recordings, a 'favourite passion' catches the eye: 'Hidden Gems', full of works by Pleyel, which she performs with the Camerata Pro Musica and... with viola player Robert Bauerstätter, who as a member of the Lissy Quartett was frequently a guest in Mechelen. In addition to her role as teacher of violin and chamber music and her own class for string players at the Joseph Haydn Privathochschule in Eisenstadt, she also wrote – fittingly – 'Gedichte zur Musik'.
Hannes Gradwohl, who has already earned his spurs as a member of the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, had his 'moment de gloire' during the romantic duet between cello and viola that Schumann devised in his Piano Quintet opus 44. Viola player Maximilian Pammer was a remarkable counterpart. Discreet yet ever attentive, he exuded an ostentatious joy of playing. He also brings joy through Live Music Now Wien, by which Yehudi Menuhin realized his conviction that Music is also Therapy. In that spirit, concerts are organized in social institutions. When you read that pianist Luca Monti can look back on masterclasses from greats such as Hans Graf, Rudolf Buchbinder, Paul Badura-Skoda and Elisabeth Leonskaja, it is no wonder that he won prestigious prizes, teaches in Vienna and delivered a splendid performance in Mechelen. Also Austrian was a delightful wine from Burgenland that brightened the intermission.