A concert in a modest and handsome Unitarian church situated underneath the castle sounds like a perfect way to spend lunchtime. The Jupiter Ensemble successfully battled a rather dry acoustic to produce a workmanlike but enjoyable rendition of the Mozart Piano quartet in G minor and a delightfully playful Trout Quintet.
The musicians gelled together well and despite finding one or two runs a little tricky in the Mozart, Sheena Jardine quickly found her stride and managed to produce a strong but also delicate sound throughout the piece. Kenneth Taylor on viola did a sterling job in supporting Jardine without an accompanying second violin, although one slip-up was accompanied by a grimacing, apologetic glance at his leader.
The second piece in the programme, Schubert’s Trout Quintet was more successful. Here the tone was judged perfectly and the Allegro Vivace and Scherzo were played with a warm and light-hearted attitude. The famous (i.e. overplayed-on-Classic FM) Andantino-Allegretto was also handled with maturity and balance and the melodies soared charmingly around the church.
Altogether, the concert series at St Mark’s is a rather wonderful way to spend an afternoon. The season finishes shortly so I would encourage those interested to get to a concert as quickly as possible.
