Frankly, a Peach of a Quartet

A concert organized in honour of what would have been Anne Frank's
seventy-third birthday was intriguing enough, but my interest was piqued
by the fact the composer was a local Cheltonian - Colin Decio from St.
Mark's.  A slightly Bohemian figure in his early forties, Decio has an
impressive catalogue of compositions under his belt, having completed at
least two symphonies, two masses, a piano concerto, an opera and half a
dozen sonatas since graduating in piano and composition from the Birmingham
Conservatoire in 1986.

Wednesday night's concert featured the Bellini String Quartet, an
all-female ensemble of Birmingham graduates with an impressive pedigree and
an even more impressive sound, especially in the slightly suspect acoustics
of Pittville Pump Room.  The programme, given before an audience of perhaps
fifty, featured two premieres - a Piano Quintet "Spirits of our age 1" and
"The opening of a rose" - flanked by two more substantial works - String
Quartet No.  1 and the Piano Trio for Anne Frank, 'Het Achterhuis.'

Decio has achieved one of the more elusive objectives of most composers
- the ability to produce music that is somehow familiar without being
noticeably derivative.  His String Quartet No.  1, subtitled "of steel
and concrete" is a student work, but one that already shows the confident
voice his later music displays.  Very effective use of dialogue between
the instruments, coupled with an ability to move from an almost minimalist
sound world to a majestically lyrical and emotional statement, without
prejudicing the work's overall structure, make this an appealing piece.
The Bellinis, led by Abigail Smith, had a very good feel for this music -
and for the rest of the programme - and easily communicated this to the
audience.

"Nihilism, Narcissism and Atavism", declares the score of the Piano
Quintet, which dates from 1986.  It could perhaps be more accurately
described as a work for String Quartet and Piano, rather than a Piano
Quintet, since there are only rarely episodes in which the piano and
strings do not compete for attention in a 'solo' capacity.  This said,
it is another accessible work that demonstrates clearly some of Decio's
compositional fingerprints.  He is very comfortable writing for the viola
and Hannah Horton rose to the challenge, producing a wonderfully adenoidal
sound when called for and providing great tenor balance to the ensemble.
Also obvious is a tendency towards angular, rhythmically powerful themes
and a deliberate policy of dialogue rather than partnership between musical
forces.  The composer joined the Bellini Quartet for this performance and
quickly demonstrated how he has managed to collect an impressive number of
piano prizes.

"The opening of a rose", for string quartet, was inspired by the attacks
on America on September 11th last year.  Since I was being evacuated from
Reagan National Airport as the plane went into the Pentagon half a mile
away that morning, I was enormously affected by this brief work, which
I sincerely hope will receive wider coverage.  Simplicity and lyricism
characterise the piece, which is immensely appealing and was played with
complete conviction and empathy by the Bellinis.  It manages to tread the
fine line between being 'music for peace', in the words of the composer,
and overly sentimental schmaltz.

The Piano Trio for Anne Frank, inspired by Greg Tricker's cycle of
"Paintings for Anne Frank", has six short movements.  Abigail Smith
from the Bellini String Quartet joined the composer and cellist Clare
Spencer-Smith in a powerful reading of this tightly structured chamber
work.  Especially attractive are the strong close to the first movement,
the anthem-like quality of the third and the somnolent feel of the
passacaglia in the fourth.

The Bellini String Quartet is an ensemble I shall look out for in the
future.  Their musicianship and commitment to the music was most striking.
Without talented interpreters, any composer's music moulders in neglect.
Colin Decio can derive hope that he is able to attract musicians of this
quality to his oeuvre.

Decio's music shows influence from, among others, Shostakovich and Ravel,
while being entirely individual at the same time.  A talent such as this
deserves a greater and more frequent airing and a group of friends has been
formed to promote this.  Details can be had from Mrs.  Jill Nightingale,
April Cottage, North End Road East, The Reddings, Cheltenham GL51 6RA.

Concert of compositions by Colin Decio with the Bellini String Quartet
Wednesday 12th June 2002, 7.30pm
Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham

"Tim Mahon" <[log in to unmask]>