Canberra International Music Festival 2022: live performance reviews from the Orava Quartet’s performances
“On this occasion, CIMF featured the young Orava String Quartet who have gradually ascended the ladder of chamber music stardom. When they first appeared at CIMF in 2018, I predicted that they were “destined to become one of Australia’s proudest cultural exports”. And so, they have, with international touring, competition-winning and recordings. In 2018 the Brisbane-based quartet issued their first recording release on Deutsche Grammophon with a prize-winning program of Russian music, including a breath-taking reading of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No 8. A week before their CIMF appearance this week they recorded Shostakovich’s String Quartet No 6. They hardly needed reference to their parts; they had internalized this quirky and unsettled music deeply.
Their Shostakovich performances are more energized, more contrasted in moods and colours, more compelling and edge-of-seat than any I have heard in recent years… For the Oravas, there must surely be a complete Shostakovich cycle for DG in the works?”
– Vincent Plush, Limelight Magazine, May 2022 (Canberra International Music Festival, ‘The Great Divide’, Shostakovich String Quartet no.6 – full review here)
“Orava played with incredible passion, fire and intensity, combined with assurity and conviction. The first movement, marked “Moderato molto espressivo” began with a tentative, pianissimo opening which exploded into massive dynamics….
The “Grave” was solemn but intensely rich in sound. The final “Con Passione” revealed an eerie high treble wash of sound from the violins with the viola, cello and piano offering a foreboding rumble underneath, bringing this tremendous work to a close.
Throughout the work, the balance between the quartet and the piano was excellent.
Once again, the audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. It was an electric and enthralling evening of the finest music making.”
– Tony Magee, Canberra CityNews, May 2022 (Canberra International Music Festival, ‘La Polonaise’, Bacewicz piano quintet no.1 with pianist Lucas Krupinski – full review here)
Read more about Canberra International Music Festival here.
Catch the Orava Quartet at their upcoming concerts:
- Saturday 18 June, 7pm – Sunshine Coast Chamber Music Festival, ‘Orava by Candlelight’ – tickets here
- Friday 24 June, 7pm – ‘Mad Piper’ presented by Camerata, Empire Theatres Toowoomba – tickets here
- Saturday 25 June, 7pm – ‘Mad Piper’ presented by Camerata, The Edge, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane – tickets here
…. and check the Calendar for more concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane this year.
Please consider supporting the Orava Quartet at: www.australianculturalfund.org.au