Chamber Music NZ School Music Contest

By TARA WERNER

AUCKLAND TOWN HALL - Andrew Sykes, president of Chamber Music NZ, said in his speech after the 2001 National Finals that much of the repertoire chosen by the finalists was contemporary, new and sometimes startling.

This presents a strong challenge to those planning programmes, he said, especially if they want to attract a younger audience to concerts. How true. Often chamber music concerts emphasise the tired and true, and contests such as this can be tedious musical marathons.

But Saturday night seemed to fly, in part because of the unusual works presented. The range of repertoire - from New Zealand works fresh on the manuscript and crossover jazz pieces to Webern, Arensky and Milhaud - was impressive.

Having said that, it does not mean that new is necessarily better than old. The Garmisch Quartet, the winning group, played the opening movement of the comparatively conservative Piano Quartet in C minor Op 13 by Richard Strauss.

The energy, commitment and, above all, focus shown by Aucklanders Christabel Lin, Chloe Jones, Lisa Chou and John J.S. Chen was head and shoulders above what was already a pretty high standard.

What was obvious was the strength of the music departments and schools from which all the highly talented teenagers came - The Auckland Academy of Music, Burnside High School and Rangitoto College, in particular.

The group Serial for Breakfast should receive bravery medals for trying Webern's Quartet Op22, in which the composer's total precision is the norm. And Edwin Carr's Four Dances from Electra received a coherent, dramatic performance by the Hsiao Quartet, followed by a flowing account of two movements of Mihaud's Sonata for Two Violins and Piano from Nelson-based Les Trios.

Meantime, Finger Dance, the winning piece of the original composition award was given a rhythmic performance by composer Timothy Donnell and three other saxophonists.

But it was the enthusiasm of everyone that counted. A heartfelt congratulation must be given for their openness, and for daring to be different.