Concert review: David Aaron Carpenter (viola) Students of Villa Musica

For almost four decades, the foundation Villa Musica has been making an important contribution to musical life in the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate through a chamber music programme that sees hand-picked students rehearsing and performing alongside mentors of the calibre of – to mention just violists – Nils Mönkemeyer, Tabea Zimmermann and, in this case, David Aaron Carpenter.

Looking not a year older than his charges, Carpenter didn’t noticeably assume a leading role, being happy – all the work having been done – simply to let the music emerge (in a touching speech, he spoke of the students as his ‘colleagues’).

The concert’s first half was bookended by a vital reading of Martinů’s Madrigals by Carpenter and violinist Yan Li, and a virtuoso performance of Halvorsen’s Sarabande con Variazioni on a theme by Handel. Here Carpenter was partnered by violinist Sonja Bogner, the two striking sparks off each other in the ever-more-intricate variations, culminating in an unashamedly over-the-top coda.

Cellist Pablo Laporev joined Bogner and Carpenter for Schnittke’s String Trio, for which completely new sounds were found, crunching non-vibrato dissonances alternating with heart-on-sleeve songfulness.

The complete group came together for a passionate interpretation of Mendelssohn’s F minor String Quartet op.80, but not before Carpenter had contributed two solo spots of uncommon beauty and brilliance.

Reger’s potentially sprawling G minor Suite received a well-structured, refreshingly light reading with vibrant double-stops and some magical pianissimo touches, while Carpenter displayed a wealth of colours in the chordal pizzicato passages of Caroline Shaw’s Tallis-inspired In manus tuas.

CARLOS MARÍA SOLARE