05 April 2021

The week in classical: Classical Vauxhall; L'Heure Espagnole – review

The week in classical: Classical Vauxhall; L'Heure Espagnole – review
... Shostakovich composed his Piano Quintet in G minor in the summer of 1940. This youthful work has an unfettered lightness, as if capturing a windless moment before a storm: the USSR was about to be invaded by Nazi Germany. Stark yet shadowy, intense but song-like, it was chosen by pianist Fiachra Garvey and the Navarra String Quartet as one of two works in the opening concert of Classical Vauxhall 2021. This mini-festival of four events filmed live at St Mark’s church, a stone’s throw from Kennington’s Oval cricket ground, also featured saxophonist Jess Gillam, tenor Nicky Spence and others keen to see “classical done differently”, to use the festival slogan. ...

No comments: