Barber/Debussy/Shostakovich: Leonskaja,Emerson Qt ***
Cadogan Hall, 31st August 2015
Traditional August Bank Holiday weather – steady rain – was reflected in the melancholy programme for this lunchtime Chamber Prom. From the famous Adagio of Samuel Barber’s String Quartet to Shostakovich’s lugubrious Piano Quintet, an atmosphere of gloomy introspection pervaded Cadogen Hall, populated by a steaming, sodden audience. Breaks in the musical clouds occurred via the sarcastic Scherzo in the Shostakovich and through Debussy’sFeux d’artifice, which briefly lights up the keyboard before fizzling out into a damp squib.
Elisabeth Leonskaja
© Julia Wesely
Read the full review on Bachtrack.