Brighton Chamber Ensemble at Chichester

 Brighton Chamber Ensemble, Chichester Cathedral, October 21

Dvořák doesn't always first come to mind as a composer of chamber music but the wireless played the String Quartet no. 12, the 'American',  the other day and so one can be glad of Classic FM and realize there's a whole seam of music to be mined there. And then, most opportunely, the Brighton Chamber Ensemble arrive to play the Quintet for Piano and Strings in A major, op 81. 

One might have thought Stephen Carroll-Turner's piano was providing a C19th continuo part from the beginning of the opening Allegro but that was before the main melodic lines were shared around very democratically. If Rachel Ellis and Ellie Blackshaw weren't leading on violins with Stephen Giles, vla, and Siriol Hugh-Jones, clo, with bass lines or pizzicato support, it was the other way round and with the piano being given a fair share of the top line, it was a wholly quintet performance.

Legato viola led into the second movement before some bubbly plucking ran beneath the violin in an Andante of summery nostalgia. The ballroom gaiety of the Scherzo finally made me realize that Dvořák is one of the cheeriest souls in the 'classical' canon and I can't immediately think of anything one might call sadness, anguish or anxiety anywhere in his work. Good for him, lucky man. What on earth was wrong with him, I wonder. He remained spring-heeled through the Allegro finale, tuneful and upbeat to the last. Where happiness is said to 'write white', i.e. there's not so much of interest to be said about it, Dvořák finds plenty. 

The Brighton Chamber Ensemble delivered high quality teamwork and musicianship throughout, some gorgeous tones in the lower strings, agility in the violins and nimbleness in the piano foundations. They are always most welcome visitors, bringing repertoire that might be a bit under-represented in local lunchtime programmes. One is the more grateful for it on account of that.