Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective 2

Dirleton Kirk 6/9/25

Adam Walker (flute), Elena Urioste (violin), Vicki Powell (viola), Laura van der Heijden (cello), Tom Poster (piano)

 The 5 members of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective appearing at this year’s Lammermuir Festival returned to Dirleton Kirk on the afternoon of 6th September with a tastily curated programme of French goodies from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Fauré’s Piano Quartet No 1 in C minor Op 15 was the well-known final course on the menu, preceded by Poulenc’s evergreen Flute Sonata, immediately after the interval, with flautist Adam Walker accompanied by pianist Tom Poster.  As I type this in my car parked up in a shower in Prestonpans a few days later, I recall, only this morning on the journey eastwards, hearing the first movement of the Poulenc on Radio 3, played by Adam with a different pianist.  The first half of the concert was devoted to three lesser-known appetisers featuring Adam’s flute: a: ‘Suite en trio’ Op 59 by Mel Bonis, Gaubert’s ‘Trois Aquarelles’, and Duruflé’s ‘Prélude, Récitatif et Variations’.

The Bonis was a 3-movement 1903 piece for flute, violin (Elena Urioste) and piano.  From the start, the harmony bore the influence of Brahms, with the addition of some quite adventurous key changes in a “French accent”, all in the major.  Elegant mutually responsive phrasing in the dialogues between the flute and the other two instruments was very satisfying.  The middle movement was a sweet rhapsodic idyll, both violin and flute soaring freely.  In the finale, in brisk triple metre, the violin and flute danced around each other, while the glittering piano was a willing participant in the revels.  A lovely piece received a persuasive outing.  Kudos to the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective for doing its bit to revive unjustly neglected repertoire from female composers.

Flute, cello and piano was the scoring for the 1921 Gaubert, with cellist and resident featured artist of this year’s Festival, Laura van der Heijden, doing the honours.  ‘Aquarelles’ are water-colours and each had a title.  ‘Par un clair matin’ evoked for me the delight of sunlight reflected off bubbling water, as well as a more contemplative interlude, a piece guaranteed to elevate the mood.  In ‘Soir d’Automne’ a pensive cello song is joined by the flute, in a contemplative minor-mode reverie, with music that is melancholy but also consolatory.  ‘Sérénade’, an enigmatic valse-like dance in 3, was also in a minor mode, but suggestive of an appreciation of natural beauty.  There were touches of Middle Eastern colour and a slower anxious interlude, before the dance resumed, a major chord and 6 repeated notes on the piano bringing the to an abrupt end.  An interesting piece by a celebrated flautist and conductor, the influence of Fauré very clear. 

Duruflé’s deliciously haunting ‘Requiem’ being the only piece of his that I knew prior to this concert meant my curiosity was aroused to hear his 1928 ‘Prélude, Récitatif et Variations’, scored for flute, viola and piano, so  violist Vicki Powell completed the string contingent for the afternoon’s music-making.  After Debussy-like spooky piano chords and rippling figures, her glorious tone sang a melancholy tune, before the piano injected vigour into the mood.  When the flute entered, it was a cheerful reverie, leading to a rhapsodic dialogue, supported by rippling passionate piano figures.  After a big climax, the prelude subsided to calm.  The viola’s gloomy recitative was answered by the theme on consolatory flute.  The flute was prominent in the first sprightly variation.  The variations explored different pairings, moods and tempi.  After a big climax, the final variation ran joyfully carefree.  A wonderfully life-affirming piece.  Excellent.

I will never tire of the 1957 3-movement Poulenc Sonata for Flute and Piano and I was ready for another dose.  It was clear that Adam and Tom feel the same way.  Glorious tone and phrasing permeated the performance,  The mood of wistful but playful loucheness in the first movement was caught to perfection.  The neo-classical pensive reverie with a more agitated central section that is the Cantilena was as charming as ever.  French mischief was let loose in the impossibly virtuosic finale, with a Satiesque Eastern Mediterranean feel to its slower central section.  Absolutely thrilling.

Piano trios, as standing professional ensembles, abound to play their huge repertoire.  Most string quartets have a pianist “friend”  happy to explore the rich piano quintet repertoire.  But in this respect the piano quartet is a “poor relation”. I am not sure when I last heard Fauré’s First Piano Quartet live, but I’m pretty sure it was the very early 1980s in the RDS in Dublin. So, long overdue  And it’s a cracker,  The mixture of scholarliness, lyricism and Brahmsian passion in the first movement calls for a rich but balanced ensemble sound and it got it in spades.  Likewise the featherlight Mendelssohnian mischief of the scampering scherzo and the shimmering smoochiness of its trio,  The shadow of Brahms also lay over the slow movement, with moments of melancholy and tender consolation, yearning, subdued passion and stoicism.  Absolutely gorgeous.  The finale launched with a ferment in the piano and a dotted rhythm dancing in the strings.  Lyricism and delight emerged, and I was surprised to notice a Wagner quotation from ‘Tristan’ before a sudden halt.  The climax that built, fusing all the previous elements into an eruption of ecstatic joy was almost overwhelming.  Perfect.

Henry Mancini’s ‘Moon River’, in an instrumental arrangement for piano quartet by Tom Poster, was the dreamy encore.  Delightful.