Alma Moodie Quartet Play Haydn and Brahms

Chamber music is intimate and vulnerable and in the Primrose Potter Salon the players’ interactions with the music and collaboration with each other are on full display. The Alma Moodie Quartet features violinists Kristian Winther and Anna da Silva Chen, violist James Wannan, and cellist Miles Mullin-Chivers.

The Quartet led by co-leader Kristian Winther set a cheeky, bantering mood in Haydn’s “Emperor” Quartet (String Quartet No.62 in C Major). In this, they followed the spirit of Haydn’s clever opening phrase, where the notes G-E-F-D-C stand for “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser [Caesar]” (“God save Emperor Francis”).

In the second movement, the repeated melody anchored an accompaniment which pleasingly grew in complexity with changes in speed, volume and harmony for each repetition.

Through the brisk Minuet and the furious Finale, the Quartet put their considerable ensemble skills to good use, as they remained balanced and synchronised while alternating between bold tutti chords and flurries of descending scales. Wannan and Mullin-Chivers provided a solid foundation for these flourishes.

After a short break, the Quartet was joined by clarinettist Olivia Hans-Rosenbaum for Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115, as co-leader Anna da Silva Chen assumed the first chair.

This darker, moodier work made a striking contrast with the Haydn, allowing the ensemble to show off their wide expressive range. Ms Hans-Rosenbaum’s clarinet blended smoothly with the strings, adding unmistakable gravity and a tinge of melancholy.

At a couple of points, a chord was so delicately sounded that it took a moment to settle fully. This was a risk, and it paid off: that fragility showed us a glimpse of Brahms at his most evocative.

From Haydn’s cheery, playful opening to Brahms’ subdued final cadence, the Alma Moodie Quartet and their guest effortlessly held their audience's attention. They left the stage accompanied by strongly appreciative and well-deserved applause.

Lucas Wilson-Richter