Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, K. 387 (Spring)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Variations on “La ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370/368b
Luigi Boccherini: Flute Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 17, No. 6
Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in C Minor, Op. 45 No. 1
Franz Schubert: Adagio from String Quintet in C Major (D. 956, Op. posth. 163)
Quatuor Elmire
Philippe Bernold: Flute
Gabriel Pidoux: Oboe
Raphaël Pidoux: Cello
After a couple of well-deserved engagement-free nights, on Sunday evening, for our last, but definitely not least, concert of the Festival Mozart dans la Drôme, my mom and I went all the way to Grignan. Of all the event’s locations, even the ones we did not get to, Grignan is probably the most famous. Its magnificent Renaissance castle, who was the home of the letter-writing aristocrat Madame de Sévigné, one of the most prominent icons of 17th-century French literature, is rightly a major local attraction, and no doubt helped Grignan become a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. Its picture-perfect cobblestones, art galleries, boutiques and restaurants took care of the rest.
Titled “Bernold & friends, Feu d’Artifice Musical” the musical fireworks-promising program was probably a nod to the Bastille Day’s celebrations that would take place the next day, and in fact included quite a few festive gems by Mozart, of course, but also by 18th-century Italian composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini, whom the festival's artistic director Philippe Bernold seemed to hold in particularly high esteem, and the ubiquitous Franz Schubert, with the sublime Adagio of his String Quintet in C Major, which needs no introduction.
Even better, after a couple of evenings that had kept us on the edge weather-wise, Sunday was the perfect summer night to attend an outdoor concert in the courtyard of one of the region’s historical treasures. Our seats may have been a bit too close to the stage to my taste, but then the music started, after a couple of acceptably long speeches, and all was forgotten.
The youngest of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 22 children (Apparently the man did not keep busy just writing music), Johann Christian Bach turned out to be a composer that probably made his father proud, even if the infectious light-heartedness of his Quintet in C, Op. 11 No. 1 is quite a departure from his father’s often stern exactness. For the occasion, Philippe Bernold and Gabriel Pidoux joined three members of the young but highly competent Quatuor Elmire at, respectively, the flute and the oboe, and all formed a seamlessly cohesive ensemble that delivered an effortlessly uplifting performance.
Next, the entire Quatuor Elmire showed up for the String Quartet No. 14 by Mozart, one of his most ambitious and accomplished works that he dedicated to Joseph Haydn, a close friend for whom he also had the highest respect. Undaunted by the challenge, the Quatuor Elmire impeccably rose to the occasion and made sure to convey not only the “Spring” quartet’s inventiveness and brilliance, but its humor and heart as well.
Mozart was still in the air with the next number, which was Ludwig van Beethoven’s set of variations on “La ci darem la mano”, one of the most beautiful arias of not only Don Giovanni, and of the entire opera repertoire as well. The three musicians tasked with this delicate mission were Philippe Bernold with his flute, Gabriel Pidoux with his oboe, and Raphaël Pidoux, his father, with his cello, and then a fourth unexpected guest showed up in the form of a strong and cheeky wind that would not leave Bernold’s paper score alone, and ultimately forced the man to stop the performance and ask for help.
As we were all waiting for the situation to be resolved, Bernold decided to put on his conductor hat and led the whole audience into a tentative but quite respectable, all things considered, sing-along of the aria, with a little help from his two colleagues. A member of the Quatuor Elmire eventually showed up and became a last-minute page holder and turner, allowing the show to go on, and maybe teaching Bernold a thing or two about the convenience of digital tools when it comes to sheet music and outdoor performances.
This fun little episode was followed by more Mozart with his Oboe Quartet in F Major, which he wrote for his friend, the brilliant oboist Friedrich Ramm. On Sunday evening, it was Gabriel Pidoux who joined the Quatuor Elmire, quipping in passing that no more surprises should be expected since they were all working with tablets. And sure enough, everything went off as planned, the extra guest boldly displaying the multi-faceted capacity of his instrument throughout the three-movement composition that often sounded more like a mini oboe concerto than a quartet.
At long last, Boccherini made a short appearance with his Flute Quintet in E-Flat Major, whose two movements came off flawlessly, and then a much more substantial one with his String Quintet in C Minor, for which Raphaël Pidoux joined the Quatuor Elmire, bringing the number of cellos in the ensemble to two. The opening elegiac Adagio was a remarkable feat of beauty and imagination, and just when I thought it could not get any better, the restless Allegro assai, the atypical Tempo di Menuetto, and the stormy Finale. Presto showed me that at least it would not get worse.
I was originally kind of miffed when I saw that only the Adagio from Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major was included in the program, but then again, beggars cannot be choosers, and it is admittedly the most memorable movement of the piece. By then darkness was surrounding us, tasteful lights were illuminating the castle, and a light breeze was gently blowing, all creating a memorable tableau totally worthy of the virtuosic performance that was steadily unfolding.
Schubert rarely wrote adagios, but when he did, the result would come second to none. On Sunday night, the exciting complexity of the composition, the fascinating combination of tranquility and chaos, and the delicious voluptuousness of those endless lines that seemed to be rising straight to heaven made the moment truly unforgettable.
And then we were done. The hour was getting late, and what can you play after this Adagio anyway? Moreover, wrapping up our Festival Mozart the same way we had begun it, with Schubert, of all people, allowed us to come full circle nice and neat while feeling grateful for so many opportunities to enjoy unfailingly terrific music and already making plans for next year.
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