Chamber music with Spanish notes in Baabdat

Chamber music filled the air on this Wednesday, May 21, as part of the "Les Musicales de Baabdath" festival, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain and the Mon Liban d’Azur collective and the Lebanese Tourism Ministry. It was an eclectic program: Mendelssohn's "Octet Opus 20," Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga's "Theme and Variations," Isaac Albéniz's "Tango and Asturias," Manuel de Falla's "La vida breve" and Bizet's "Carmen."

Mendelssohn's "Octet" for four violins, two violas and two cellos, "Opus 20," is a miraculous work, a jewel of chamber music, composed in 1825 when the musician was only 16 years old.

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If you pay attention, this work is for two string quartets. But Mendelssohn treats the eight instruments not as two distinct quartets, but as a homogeneous ensemble, creating a dense and brilliant texture. Never has a chamber music work radiated such charm, genesis, vigor and passion. Schumann was fascinated by this work. "Neither in ancient times nor today do we find greater perfection in such a young master," he said.

Few chamber music scores require, as consistently from the performers, such impeccable perception of detail and continuity of lyrical breath. These conditions are met here by young Lebanese performers Ihab Jamal, Wael Semaan, Ramzi Kandalaft, Semaan Wehbe, Hambardzum Simonyan, Sarah Mallah, Jana Semaan and Veronique Wehbe.

Incisive precision and refined sound perfectly account for the balance that triumphs over the effervescence of the "Allegro moderato con fuoco," where even episodes of tender abandonment remain impatient. Our Lebanese bows considerably enrich the "Andante," whose interest may sometimes appear subdued, particularly this fairy-tale scherzo in which our string ensemble vaporizes in a summer moonbeam the microscopic ballet of unreal elytra. The presto might appear with less sustained rectitude, but it remains true that this performance shone with all the brilliance of youth.

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When Spain is mentioned, one hardly thinks of the violin. It is also known that it was the zarzuelas that introduced into Spanish music the Iberian turns, which the tradition refused. Scarlatti and especially Boccherini, when they made exceptions, were neither abundant nor followed. The "Theme and Variations" by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, a composer nicknamed "the Spanish Mozart," is a childhood work of this prodigy musician, who died in Paris at the age of 20. Sincere interpretation in its childishness with meowing effects, it cannot sustain a very astonishing musical construction, and we are far behind these quartets.

There was an intimate, singing or elegiac atmosphere for the rest of the concert, where the strings were very expressive, full of spirit and verve, joined by Anthony Malkoun, percussionist, with castanets, tambourines and triangles. It should be noted that the works of Albéniz, Falla, Bizet and "La Paloma" by Sebastián Iradier are admirable and surprising transcriptions for string instruments, ending this concert with a Spanish folkloric scent.

This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.

Et les cordes chantent l’Espagne à Baabdate