This competition has ended.
Congratulations to the winner of the So You Think You Can Write competition, Jennifer Bladon, as judged by our special volunteer guest judge Harriet Cunningham, music critic for The Sydney Morning Herald.
Jennifer has won a $50 voucher for the ABC shop, and a double pass to see the Borodin Quartet play at the Melbourne Recital Centre in 2010.
Read Jennifer's winning review here:
By Jennifer Bladon
The opening chord set a masterly tone: four bows touching the strings at precisely the same instant and with equal intensity and purpose. The Jerusalem Quartet commanded last night’s audience with a firm and sure hand, conveying absolute confidence and competence until the last ringing of the final minor chord had died away. This is a group that understands music’s physicality. Unafraid to use their bodies, they sway with its temporal and dynamic rhythms and with each other, first violinist Pavlovsky occasionally half-rising from his seat when the melody shifts to the lower strings. They sweep their bows in similar dramatic arcs. They breathe together.
The Haydn String Quartet in G was a worthy opener, showcasing the group’s stylistic and dynamic range. Rich, dark chords set off nimble staccato passages in the Allegro; a tonal shift set the Adagio’s sombre mood. The first violin reached a tantalising pianissimo in the highest notes, and there was plenty of power from all players in louder passages.
For me, the Vine String Quintet, written as a companion-piece to the Schubert, was the least compelling work. The dominant theme felt slightly cinematic; at odds with the rest of the programme. Nevertheless, the playing was skillful, the group navigating rhythmic complexity – including the 7/4 minuet section – with apparent ease. The jewel in the crown was Schubert’s String Quintet in C; particularly the tautly beautiful Adagio. The slow opening chord of the first movement (Allegro ma non troppo) swelled almost imperceptibly from silence. The doubled cellos had their shining moment in the Adagio’s yearning melody, the two cellists showing admirable restraint in not overplaying Schubert’s intensity. Later in the Adagio, they muttered darkly while the violins sang. The Scherzo’s bracing opening broke the spell; the cellos lending necessary weight to jubilance as the Finale galloped home. The two cellists complemented each other well. Guest artist Plesser has a full, rich tone; Zlotnikov’s is more melodious, and his left hand flies. But despite Plesser’s skill, there’s no doubt he’s the outsider. The Jerusalem Quartet musicians all seem harnessed by the same current, and the audience is electrified.
Jennifer has played flute for 35 years and teaches flute ensemble at a school in Melbourne’s north-west. She has two children; one a budding cellist.
The runners up are:
Brett Montgomery
Patrick Johns
John Garran
John Edwards
The So You Think You Can Write competition will be back in 2010, stay tuned.
Meantime, you can brush up on your review skills by reading Harriet’s DO’s and DON’T's when writing a review. Click here.