Crowning their extremely successful 75^th Anniversary Season, Perth Chamber Music invited the Resol String Quartet to close their season in St John’s Kirk, Perth with a Sunday afternoon concert.

From the very first notes the Resol Quartet had that special quartet sound, much more than just four instrumentalists. As their third trip to Perth Chamber Music expectations were high as shown by the absolute silence before they began. Minor Puccini’s Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums in Italy are a flower of mourning) may be, but they played it with total conviction, dynamically and genuinely bringing out the heartfelt emotion.

Mozart’s Quartet in C, K465 followed. Given the nickname ‘Dissonance’ is misleading for this poised, urbane piece. Treating the sombre start as an introduction and not overplaying it, their main Allegro was light on its feet and fluently lyrical. Smiles and appreciation flowed between the players, really communicating with their audience too. Their Andante was definitely cantabile, the cello and second duet having real affection. Oddly, an aeroplane of exactly the same pitch as the cello’s final note was heard droning into the distance. A rhythmically lively Minuet with a more clouded Trio led to the Finale, not as fast as some, but with quicksilver musicality. They really dug into the development. The cello of Alasdair Morton Teng had a broad smile at his fine solo. And as the first violin repeated the theme again there was a little hesitation, perhaps betokening wry humour: Oh, not this tune again! But no, off into the coda.

Exceptional though the first two works had been the astonishing eye-opener was their performance of Shostakovich’s Third Quartet. Alasdair’s enthusiastic spoken introduction to this five movement work teed up the audience. The seemingly perky start, even with winsome slides was soon countered with doubts, leading to almost a fall out in Shostakovich’s writing. Eloquence in the first violin, Briona Mannion, led to dissonance (What price Mozart?) before the surprisingly abrupt end. The Moderato was trenchant with the viola, Raphael Chinn, darkly sawing away. This Quartet really meant the pounding. One unusual effect was their very unusual pecking at individual notes. The third movement fully brought out Shostakovich’s ‘Forces of war unleashed’ in fearsome playing of vehemence: the aimless violence a frightening ride. From another perfect silence the Adagio’s serious start had palpable intensity leavened by lyrical passages, for instance the viola cello duet. It led straight into the unsettling fifth movement. Here there was uncanny jollity, pizzicato mocking the tunes.  The second violin, Annabel Kidd, chose an effective, annoying, mechanical trill, before a return to the regretful tramping as the two violins circled as if lost, ending in the first’s desolate climb. It was a devastating performance ending a triumphant season.

Ian Stuart-Hunter