Grand Septet

First to Bohemia and Antonin Dvorák’s ‘Bagatelles, Op. 47’ – five delightful pieces originally written for violins, cello and harmonium, arranged for this septet by Trish Dean. Composed for the lucrative sheet music market in 1878 (when most European households had a piano or harmonium), the spry and delicate tunes echoe the popular folk music of the day. The pieces are charming and melodic. Trish Dean’s arrangement allows for interplay between the strings and wind instruments, with light and breezy playing by the accomplished septet, making for a wonderful opening sequence.

Next stop Hungary, early 1900s – and another composer who drew from his country’s traditional folk music to forge a classical national identity. Ernö Dohnányi’s ‘Serenade for String Trio’ reduced the players to just strings – cello, viola and violin. The five short movements reflected the fact that they were composed during a tour to London and Vienna. Their cascading tones gave the expert string section a chance to show the synchronised harmony of their ensemble playing.

Ensemble Q’s resident composer Melody Eötvös may be Melbourne based, but her music has a wider influence from her studies in London and the US and her work and travels around the world. Melody was in the audience to introduce her new composition, ‘Baelo’, and she did so by revealing that she is obsessed by sand! This is fortunate for us because her piece is incredible, musically rich and evocative. It’s not every Monday night that you can hear a new Australian work of this calibre. ‘Baelo’ is five short movements – Duno (dune), Curia (building), Koro (heart), Rezisto (resistance), and Denove (again) – inspired by the landscapes of the Big Drift sand dunes in Victoria and the Baelo Claudia ancient ruins in Spain. The visual curls of sand and eroding historic pillars are created musically by the septet, combining to evoke an exotic and cinematic tapestry of melody and sound. Unconventional slapping on the cello’s neck briefly punctuates as the wind and brass notes weave between the strings’ grasp. In a short time I feel like I’ve been to a double feature of ‘Dune’ and ‘Laurence of Arabia’ – absolutely remarkable!

To finish, we are introduced to the under-appreciated 19th-century Swedish composer, Franz Berwald. Franz Liszt’s prediction that Berwald would never be a musical success in his lifetime was unfortunately prescient. Instead, the violinist and Romantic composer was forced to make his living by operating an orthopaedic and physiotherapy clinic in Berlin. Perhaps his pieces were considered too uncomplicated for their time, but his ‘Grand Septet in B flat major’ was a lovely way to farewell the septet program. There was certainly nothing simple about this piece, but its balance and symmetry allowed for a showcase of all seven instruments – the bass notes of the bassoon clinching with the deep tones of the double bass and cello, and the intricate harmonies of the horn and top notes of the clarinet sparring amicably with the melody of the strings.

Ensemble Q are some of Australia’s most accomplished and experienced classical musicians, composers and arrangers. Individually they have performed all over the world and across Australia. It’s an absolute musical treat to be able to see them perform as a group in the Concert Hall’s intimate setting.

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Gavin Rebetzke

Grand Septet will be broadcast on 4 April 2025 on ABC Classic Evenings at 7pm:

www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/classic-evenings

Find out more about Ensemble Q’s 2025 season: www.ensembleqaustralia.com