Beethoven Septet
St Ayle, Cellardyke 29/6/25
Alexander Janiczek (violin), Emma Wernig (viola), Philip Higham (cello), Graham Mitchell (double bass), Robert Plane (clarinet), Alec Frank-Gemmill (horn), Ursula Leveaux (bassoon)
The concert in the church of St Ayle, Cellardyke at noon on the last day of this year’s 20th East Neuk Festival was dedicated to the memory of cellist, conductor, academic and teacher David Watkin, who died in May. It gathered together musicians associated with the Festival over the years, many of whom also knew David, to play Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat, Op.20. These included violinist Alexander Janiczek, cellist Philip Higham, bassist Graham Mitchell, clarinettist Robert Plane, hornist Alec Frank-Gemmill, and bassoonist Ursula Leveaux. Violist Diyang Mei, who was scheduled to perform at this and other events, but was stranded in Berlin without a valid visa, was again replaced at short notice by the very talented Emma Wernig.
Another best-laid plan was about to go agley. The concert was due to start with Alexander and Philip playing a rarely heard and virtually unheard-of piece, the ‘Duo Concertante: Fantasy on themes from Der Freischütz’ by 19th century virtuosic performing brothers Moritz & Leopold Ganz. And, in a way, it did. But a few minutes into the piece, when three of the tunes that made the cut for Weber’s familiar overture had been played, one of Alexander’s strings came adrift. They retired to the vestry to effect a repair. After a while, the message was relayed that two strings needed replaced. As the time window for the Ganz ebbed, the decision was made to abandon it and move straight to the Septet. If a sigh of disappointment was heaved by the audience, it escaped my ears. Ganz organisierte? Maybe not.
Beethoven’s Septet is a delightful 6-movement divertimento of light music, with quite a Mozartean feel. The violin and clarinet parts are most prominent, but everybody gets a wee solo comment from time to time, with Beethoven’s fondness for the horn noticeably already emergent. After a brief slow introduction, the sunny E-flat first movement matched the weather of the day, which was already shaping up to be a scorcher. A lyrical clarinet aria started the slow movement, taken up by the violin. Charming string versus winds Q&As were followed by lovely harmonies in a violin-viola duet. A touching minor-key horn solo was particularly delicious. The violin’s soaring closing lilt raised smiles. The brief minuet must be one of the most arranged pieces of music (I myself have played it many times from an album of string quartet arrangements of popular pieces, useful when we were making pin money by playing for functions while at university). It was scrumptious, with some ornate arpeggiation from the horn in the Trio. The theme and variations movement which follows is Beethoven displaying his ingenuity with transformation of a simple marching tune. Of the 6 variations and coda, the minor-key 4th is my favourite, with a forlorn horn and sympathetic clarinet moaning about life’s vicissitudes while the violin and viola scamper away underneath, seemingly oblivious. The Scherzo is a cross-country romp, with the horn wearing his hunting pinks. The viola has a lyrical but whimsical solo in the Trio, joined by the violin. It received a spirited, witty outing. In the Finale, a world-weary slow introduction is quickly dismissed by cheery playful melody, which carries us through a series of scenes, including an impressive violin cadenza, before propelling us to the happy ending. Alexander’s violin held up fine, though it needed tuned between the movements.
It is a pity that Beethoven grew to hate the Septet, because its popularity led to the twin headaches of constant pestering to provide new arrangements and defending his property from chancers making pirate ones. We are lucky – we can just enjoy it as a bit of fun.