MUSIC: MENDELSSOHN ON MULL 2010 (Various venues, Isle of Mull, 27 June - 3 July 2010)
Participants in Mendelssohn on Mull 2010 (Photo - Richard Campbell Photography)
MUSIC: MENDELSSOHN ON MULL 2010 (Various venues, Isle of Mull, 27 June - 3 July 2010)
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09 July 2010
JAMES MUNRO reflects on what felt like a special year for the well-established Mendelssohn on Mull event. THERE ARE those that might argue that the word ‘Festival’ should not apply to those mega-events, such as Salzburg or Edinburgh or the City of London, when artistic superstars and divas are airlifted in for a couple of expensive performances during the summer season when the normal programmes of the major opera houses and concert halls are in abeyance.
Those wise words go on to suggest that the true spirit of a festival means taking music of the highest possible standard to communities and venues that are not able to enjoy such an experience at other times of the year.
And so, for example, in the south east of Scotland, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra decamps from Edinburgh to the East Neuk of Fife, taking with them the likes of the Belcea and the Elias Quartets. Then in September this year there is a new lusty infant in the form of the Lammermuir Festival taking the SCO, the BBC SSO, the Navarra Quartet and Philip Higham inter alia to the churches and big houses of East Lothian.
But the real jewel in the crown of the out-of-the-way festivals (and I’ve got to say that since I was invited on to the board of trustees) is Mendelssohn on Mull, now in its twenty-second year, although there are those that would argue that Mendelssohn on Mull is not a festival at all. So, leaving the semantics aside, what is it?
Founded by Leonard Friedman, whose legacy includes the Scottish Ensemble, on 28 October 1988, its main objective is to provide performing musicians with opportunities to develop their talents alongside others in a supportive environment. That might sound wordy and worthy, but it sums it up.
Each year twenty or so chamber musicians, some of international standing and others, the young professionals, exceptional students or recent graduates from the music conservatoires make the crossing from Oban to learn from each other and perform together in the beautiful and serene environment of the island of Mull.
The Artistic Director is Levon Chilingirian, founder and first violin of the internationally acclaimed string quartet that bears his name as well as professor at London’s Royal College of Music.
He has built around him a team of mentors: fellow violinists Marcia Crayford who was leader of the Nash Ensemble for many years and Gaby Lester, guest leader of many of the national orchestras; violist Sam Barsegian, principal viola of the Gulbenkian Orchestra of Lisbon; and Stephen Orton who has been principal cello of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields since 1985.
For this year there was an outstanding pair of guest artists, pianist Iain Burnside and horn player Jonathan Williams to add a bit of variety to the normal programme of all-string repertoire.
The young professionals who gathered on the ferry to Craignure are all studying in the United Kingdom, but they come from several backgrounds, including Spain, Sweden and Russia; and this year only five were returning for a second time, rather fewer than usual.
Everyone met together for the first time over a meal in the Aros Hall in Tobermory on the Saturday evening, before getting down to the hard work of practicing on the Sunday, and especially hard work for two of the three groups who would be playing some of their programme that very evening during the Opening Reception at An Tobar, when all the Friends of Mendelssohn on Mull come together to renew old acquaintances, including the crews of the flotilla of yachts that had sailed from Northern Ireland to join their colleagues from the Royal Highland Yacht Club and give their support to the Festival.
The programme selected by Levon had each group playing a quartet by Schubert, without any mentors taking part, a quartet by Schumann, with mentors, and then a quintet or sextet by Brahms or Mozart. By lunchtime on Monday, all three groups had prepared their full programmes, ready to go out and perform in their chosen venues – Salen Church, Glengorm Castle or Dervaig Hall.
Quite apart from the quality of the music, it is at these venues that the spirit of Mendelssohn on Mull is revealed. For all the concerts are free, and in the most entrancing settings. At Glengorm Castle, the audience was crammed all the way up the main staircase, as well as in all the public rooms of the building, and in the interval there was the spectacular view across the Minch to Skye as the sun set into the Atlantic. Could there be anything more sublime in the world of chamber music?
Glengorm Castle was the preserve of the group mentored by Marcia Crayford and Stephen Orton; meanwhile Gaby Lester’s group were at Dervaig Hall, starting forty-five minutes later so as to pick up the numbers who could not be accommodated at Glengorm.
Their performance featured Schubert’s E flat major Quartet, No 10, D87, played by Josie Robertson, Louisa Tatlow, Jenny Ames and Feargus Egan, followed by Schumann’s Op 41 No 3 Quartet in A major and Mozart’s String Quintet No 4 in G minor K516.
Heading south from Tobermory, Levon and Sam took their group to the charming church at Salen, a community at the crossroads of the island. And it was here that one of the remarkable events of the week took place. Because of an injury to one of the selected young professionals there was a change in personnel, and plain serendipity produced a quartet of young players who established an immediate rapport and some of the most impressive musical interpretation. Their delivery of the Schubert String Quartet No 9 in G minor was enthralling and worthy of the universal applause it received.
But it is the nature of Mendelssohn on Mull that all musicians are equal and the mentors have to get the chance to perform as much as the young professionals. So it was that Levon and Sam took the seats of Zhanna Tonaganyan and Emma Stevenson to play one of the quartets that Schumann dedicated to his friend Felix Mendelssohn, No 1 in A minor, Op 41 No 1, with violinist Julia Rogers and cellist Sabina Sandri Olsson. A much under-rated work that deserves wider popularity.
After the interval Julia drew the short straw and had to sit out while the other five played Brahms G minor Quintet Op 111 – a truly beautiful work which was given the treatment it warranted.
Even more beautiful is the Brahms String Sextet in G major Op 36 that contains one of the most captivating tunes in all music and was played by Marcia and Stephen’s group at Glengorm and again at Dervaig on the Tuesday.
What do you mean you don’t know it! Go and wash your mouth out! Find a copy, listen to it and I defy you to disagree that the allegro non troppo is one of the most perfect tunes ever composed. If you don’t find that to be the case, you can send me a rude email (jamesmunro24@aol.com). In the same programme was Schubert’s 8th String Quartet in B flat major D112 and the second of the Schumann Op 41 set, in F major.
If Monday evening had seen the groups at Salen, Glengorm and Dervaig, on Tuesday after more rehearsals in the morning, they changed around, with Levon taking his group to Craignure Hall in the evening, while Marcia and her team spent the afternoon at Dervaig and Gaby’s group went to Salen Church.
By tradition, Wednesday is Tobermory Day, with a performance of four selected movements by each group in Tobermory Church. It is another spectacular setting, on the hill above the bay with wonderful views and interval refreshments very kindly supplied by the ladies of the congregation. Their home baking is to be recommended.
Spare a thought for the one person who always misses out on this ‘highlights’ concert. Jan Richardson, Secretary of the Friends of Mendelssohn on Mull, is slaving away in the kitchen at the Aros Hall preparing a meal for all the musicians and the helpers, without whom the Festival could not take place.
And it was over this sumptuous repast that the four young ladies in Levon’s group took the plunge and decided to form a professional string quartet together – and what a quartet they promise to be! The name chosen by Zhanna, Julia, Emma and Sabina was obvious, the Aros Quartet; and already they are preparing an initial repertoire so that they can have their first short tour together in October, starting in Inverness.
Then on Wednesday night the weather broke. Well, it always does for the Thursday caravanserai down to Fionnphort through flooded roads on the way to Iona and Mendelssohn on Mull’s annual visit to the Abbey to perform a selection of slow movements by each group and the combined forces playing Haydn’s emotive Seven Last Words From The Cross.
Our penance must have been recognized as the sun broke through for a most relaxing bask on the beach with a few of the braver, or madder, young ladies going in for a swim!
All too soon it was back to Mull and work, with Marcia’s group going to play in the tiny Creich Church, and Gaby and friends in Bunessan Baptist Church. Meanwhile Levon’s party was joined by guest pianist Iain Burnside in the majestic setting of Duart Castle with the hospitality of Sir Lachlan Maclean.
Of course this meant a change of programme with the Brahms String Quintet being replaced by Iain playing the Brahms F minor Piano Quintet on the venerable Castle Bechstein to a capacity audience in the Great Hall.
There are always a couple of highlights on the Friday. Firstly, there is the afternoon concert given by the youngsters taking part in the Mull Children’s String Summer School, organized in parallel to the main events and the result of a lot of hard work by the children under the leadership of Maggie Miller and her team, Heather, Sonia and Rosie.
Friday night is not only music night, but also Mendelssohn on Mull’s equivalent to the Last Night of The Proms, only it is known as the Classical Ceilidh. Put together by Richard Jeffcoat, it is a programme of many colours, ranging from traditional Scots fiddle, to comedy singing by the young professionals, from a Pasadena tea dance style quartet to a Mozart Horn Quintet featuring Jonathan Williams, from Iain Burnside playing a couple of movements of the Brahms Piano Quintet to the full company playing the charming String Symphony No 8 in D major by Mendelssohn, composed when he was only twelve but already displaying precocious talent.
Then it was off to the bar of the Mishnish Hotel for the last night on the island, but not the last night of the Festival. That honour goes to St John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Oban on the Saturday evening to give the mainlanders the chance to join in the delights of the week.
Each group reprised a couple of movements from their concert programmes and demonstrated how the quality of their performance had developed from excellent to outstanding since the Sunday morning. In the second half, Iain Burnside was joined at the Cathedral’s Steinway by Levon, Zhanna, Sam and Sabina for part of the Brahms Piano Quintet, including its exuberant and memorable scherzo, and then it was time for the last work, another sparkling performance of the Mendelssohn String Symphony.
Over the years there have been some distinguished alumni who have graced Mendelssohn on Mull; I think of Leo Schreiber, of Willem Mathlener, of Rowena Calvert, of Michael Gurevitch and many others; all names who have gone on to make a positive impact in the world of classical music.
However, this year was something special. I am very excited by the prospects for the Aros Quartet and look forward to following their future. To put it simply, this year had a bit more of a buzz about it, and the challenge is to keep that buzz burning.
Mendelssohn on Mull differs from any other event. It is not a teaching week, it is a mentoring week; everyone learns from everyone else. And admission to all concerts is free. Getting out at the end might be a bit more expensive! It is run by a charitable trust and the annual cost of about £45,000 is obtained from the Friends of Mendelssohn on Mull, from donations, from trust funds and from Gift Aid recovered from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Apart from a small grant towards the Mull Children’s String Summer School, that Gift Aid is the only public funds that the Trust receives. It is a sobering thought that a week of magnificent musical development for so many artists costs the same as keeping our troops in Afghanistan for about fifteen seconds. Thank goodness that musicians are able to remove the national barriers between peoples that politicians erect.
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