Mozart and Moz-Art

Mozart and Moz-Art

Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Miranda Heggie

With a programme comprising music by Mozart and Haydn, along with "contemporary comments" by Arvo Part and Alfred Schnittke, the Scottish Ensemble displayed a remarkable chameleon-like quality as they explored these varied works with intelligence, wit and finesse. At once producing a clean, crisp sound, Mozart's Divertimento in D introduced the audience to a group of players who clearly know each other musically inside out.

Part's Mozart-Adagio, written for violin, cello and piano as a tribute to a friend who recently died, saw the melodies in the two stringed instruments jar in a beautifully painful and poignant manner against Mozart's keyboard music, perfectly capturing the essence of the incomprehensible sorrow of bereavement.

Moving on to Haydn's Concerto For Violin And Piano No 6 in F major, violin soloist and Scottish Ensemble director Jonathan Morton, together with pianist Alasdair Beatson make an impeccable duo, their solo melodies elegantly dancing and intertwining round one another.

Alfred Schnittke's Moz-Art a la Haydn is as much a drama as it is a piece of music, with a "promenade" element to the performance on stage. This comical, even cheeky work, cleverly peppered with Mozartian references, plays with expectations both aurally and visually, producing visible bafflement and audible laughter from the audience.

The highlight of the evening was Mozart's Piano Concerto No 12 in A. Beatson's astounding talent as a pianist was overwhelmingly evident as he made the instrument sing, especially in the final movement's elaborate cadenza, which sailed through moods of sparkling vivacity and honeyed sweetness with fluidity and ease. Set against the backdrop of such a fine ensemble, who created a large, potent sound which belied their relatively small number, this was a truly exquisite performance.