The Chichester Music Society concert on 13th June with The Endymion Ensemble proved to be a hugely enjoyable event and a fitting tribute to the Society’s late Chairman, David Tinsley.
A large audience, including David’s family and many of his friends, enjoyed outstanding performances of music by Mozart, Carl Reinecke (born in the Hamburg district of Altona, then part of Denmark, in 1824), and Dohnanyi.
The concert opened with Mozart’s Piano Quartet No.1, a dramatic piece with virtuoso writing for the piano. This received a sparkling yet sensitive performance from the Ensemble. Carl Reinecke’s Trio for Clarinet, Horn and Piano followed. This is an unusual combination of instruments and was composed in 1905 for Reinecke’s friends, who played instruments for which there was a limited chamber repertoire. Seldom heard today, it is an outstanding piece and received a spirited performance from the players.
A hugely enjoyable performance of Dohnanyi’s Sextet for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet & horn, brought the concert to a riotous end. The finale of the Sextet opens in ragtime for clarinet and piano, with the strings responding, a wonderful reflection of the jazz scene which was developing in Europe just after the First World war. The piece gave the Ensemble a fine opportunity to demonstrate why they have been hailed as ’The Brilliant Endymion’ and brought the house down!
Chris Hough
