A kind of magic

The powers of alchemy form the basis of a new string quartet

A DOZEN DIAMONDS: Twelve Stradivari violins are set up and ready for inspection by Janine Jansen, in preparation for a new documentary to be released in September. Falling for Stradivari follows the Dutch violinist as she gets to know each instrument in turn, before recording an album for Decca using all twelve. Jansen, who will be profiled in the October 2021 issue of The Strad, is accompanied on her journey by conductor Antonio Pappano as she selects works that fit each instrument, learns about their histories, and makes the recording. A trailer for the documentary can be viewed at bit.ly/3qyA1kZ.

TOP PHOTO UNA BURNAND

COMPOSER Alex Nante

WORK String Quartet no.1 ‘Prima Materia’

ARTISTS Diotima Quartet

DATE 14 August 2021

PLACE Salquin Auditorium, Lucerne Hochschule, Lucerne, Switzerland bit.ly/3ziJcua

Alex Nante

Diotima Quartet

DIOTIMA PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROUSSEAU.

‘I visualise a laboratory when writing chamber music,’ says 29-year-old Argentinian composer Alex Nante. This is especially appropriate for his string quartet no.1 ‘Prima Materia’, which is based on the ancient practice of alchemy.

The quartet, set to be premiered at the Lucerne Festival on 14 August, consists of one 20-minute movement, made up of fragmented, albeit distinguishable, short structures: what Nante calls a ‘mosaic’. ‘It is as if you are going through several small chemical stages,’ he explains.

The piece’s title refers to the raw materials at the beginning of the alchemical process. As in alchemy, the work’s ‘prima materia’ is transformed, purified and rendered more luminous as the piece goes on. Nante experiments with complex, chaotic and polyphonic textures, which become increasingly transparent. Important to alchemy is the birth of something new, which Nante explores both musically – using the metaphor of ‘night’ – and personally, explaining that the work has brought about a more mature compositional style. ‘This work resonates with who I am,’ he says.

‘Writing for string quartet is like you’re in black and white,’ Nante goes on. To avoid being distracted by the myriad colours offered by orchestral writing, he opts for a more intimate configuration. ‘I can give each instrument its identity,’ he explains. As for the Diotima Quartet, which commissioned the work, Nante has long admired the players’ ‘vastness of repertoire and support of young composers’. He adds that he trusts the group implicitly to respect the piece, its transformational theme and its intentions:

‘Transformation is one of the most important things in music, not just in this piece. I hope the listeners can hear this, and have new doors opened to them as we move from darkness to light.’

COMPETITIONS

Egmont Trio

PHOTO ADAM MARKOWSKI.

Javier Comesaña

PHOTO KIRILL BASHKIROV

Jason Henery

The Egmont Trio has won first prize at the Beethoven in his Time competition for historical performance practice in Siegburg, Germany. The €15,000 award comes with a Naxos CD recording opportunity. Formed in 2019 in Germany, the ensemble consists of violinist Luiza Labouriau, 31, cellist Martin Knörzer, 34, and pianist Gilad Katznelson, 31. The second prize was won by the Alterna Trio, which took home €10,000.

Chinese violist Yuchen Lu, 22, has won first prize at the Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco, CA, US, receiving $13,000 and several concert engagements. Lu currently studies with Carol Rodland at the Juilliard School, and is a former student of Kim Kashkashian at the New England Conservatory.

Spanish violinist Javier Comesaña, 22, has won the International Jascha Heifetz Competition in Vilnius, Lithuania, and its accompanying €10,000 first prize. Comesaña studies with Marco Rizzi at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Spain. Eva Rabchevska, 24, from Ukraine won second prize and €5,000, while Manon Galy, 24, from France took home the €2,000 third prize.

Australian bassist Jason Henery, 20, has won the solo division at the International Society of Bassists’ (ISB) performance competition. Henery, who studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, receives $5,000 and an expensespaid recital at the 2023 ISB convention. American bassist Vincent Dupont, 25, came first in the jazz division. He is a graduate of jazz studies at William Paterson University. Peter Hatch, 24, also from the US, won the orchestra division. He is currently studying for a masters at the Juilliard School.