EIF: Albrecht Mayer and Friends

Queen's Hall - 19/08/23

Albrecht Mayer, oboe | Diana Tishchenko, violin | Liisa Randalu, viola | István Várdai, cello 

For a Saturday morning recital there was a palpable, anticipatory fizz seeping from the near-capacity Queen’s Hall audience.  And, for a Saturday morning recital, one could safely assume that this fictitious froth arose from the audience’s anticipation rather than the bar stalls’ dormant taps.  How right they were.  Albrecht Mayer and his friends – Diana Tishchenko, Liisa Randalu and István Várdai – delivered a stellar recital with poise, some prose, and a healthy serving of pizzazz. 

Principal Oboe of the Berlin Philharmonic for some three-decades, Albrecht Mayer opened the concert with a story which sought to stimulate the listener ahead of Britten’s ‘Phantasy Quartet’, “I want you to imagine a pipe band far in the distance,” he said.  The troupe approach from afar, are shockingly derailed by a rival band’s musical riposte and engage in a fierce, contrapuntal duel – with the victor of the musical massacre marching triumphantly back into the distance.  This proved an intriguing blurb, and one not unimaginable on an already crowded Royal Mile, but nevertheless, one which was demolished swiftly in the furore which followed. Várdai’s reticent cello rumblings spiralled into a four-part conflict which far exceeded its foreboding.  This quartet had come to town to play, but they certainly weren’t going to ‘play nice’ in this piece.   

This is, in part, why the reading of Mozart’s Oboe Quartet which followed delivered the epitome of class to an even greater degree and gave an enthralling lesson on the possibilities of programmatic contrast.  Mayer’s introduction recalled the fiendish virtuosity of the work, leaving it broadly untouched and available only to those of the highest technical proficiency.  At this point, a tannoy announcement: “Brace, brace” would not have seemed extraneous.  Yet, the quartet played without the hotshot, fast and furious ‘style’ that quickly squashes this music’s spirit.  Led from the oboe, the quartet wove their lines with agility and great sensitivity, yielding a buoyant depiction of this courtly scene.  The flexibility and humour with which the players approached this piece, despite its exceptional technical demands, took the audience away from the concert platform and into Mayer’s living room.  This was Mozart at its finest, and a collective smile swept our new lounge. 

Britten’s ‘Elegy for solo Viola’ opened the second half.  Liisa Randalu’s warm, mellifluous playing galvanised the audience further: burying them within the chromatic, pseudo-improvisatory phrases.  She explored Britten’s mournful, dissonant stretches with sympathy, and may well have lulled the audience into a state of comfortable reverie were it not for Ukranian-born Diana Tishchenko and István Várdai’s theatrical intervention: Servais and Ghys’s ‘Variations brillantes et concertantes sur l’air God save the King.’   

As if Mozart wasn’t gymnastic enough, the violinist and cellist tore through the suite of increasingly florid variations to great acclaim.  Sparks flew from the bows across the sitting room, and questions would doubtless be asked about the effect of Tishchenko’s soaring, perfectly pitched coloratura on the structural integrity of the windows.  Fast and furious returned here, and the audience were delighted they did.  

The concert concluded with Moeran’s’ Fantasy Quartet’ which circled back to Britten’s battle, but with a more consensual and notably Celtic aura, and an encore: Gordon Jacob’s riveting Oboe Quartet.  Mayer’s return saw him unashamedly embody the rockstar for the finale, clad in a dazzling white suit, the music swinging and swelling to a rapturous reception.    

This was a classy performance of a carefully constructed programme; The Queen’s Hall was graced by musicians of immense prowess, skill and style.  Despite their international renown and extraordinary technical skill, they each embody the warmth, generosity and bright spirit demanded by their repertoire.  I would hope to return shortly to their living room, thirsty for some more fizz.    

Cover photo: Christoph Köstlin