By Fran Gillespie
At the last of the present series of Qatar Foundation concerts sponsored by Qatar Shell and held at Qatar Academy, young British solo clarinetist Sarah Williamson performed a series of challenging works, accompanied by pianist John Reid.
Williamson previously appeared in Doha, in the same auditorium, in 2002 with the BBC Young Musicians of the Year, when she was a prizewinner in the woodwind section. Those who heard her then recall the impressive talent displayed by this young musician, and her performance on Tuesday demonstrated how much she has matured and developed her technical prowess.
Launching without introduction into Carl von Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante in E Flat Major, Williamson’s performance showed a remarkable intensity of concentration and energy, her vigorous style coaxing from the instrument a diverse range of sounds.
Clarinet means, in Italian, ‘little trumpet’ and there were moments when Williamson produced a triumphantly trumpet-like noise, particularly at the end of the Rondo Allegro. There were other times when her playing was more typically ‘woodwind’ with sweet and mellow tones.
Weber had a penchant for composing for the clarinet, and his Grand Duo Concertant incorporates all the charm and rich woodwind character for which he was so famous. A cousin of Mozart’s wife, he was one of the earliest significant composers of the Romantic school. The composer Debussy once commented that the sound of a Weber orchestra was obtained through the scrutiny of the soul of each instrument. This could be said too of Williamson’s performance in this most enjoyable composition.
This was followed by a short piece, Rachmaninov’s popular Vocalise, originally composed for voice and piano and since arranged many times for almost any combination of instruments. In this gentle, reflective, almost melancholy piece the clarinet takes the place of the human voice, and Williamson brought out its most soulful and romantic tones.
Introducing the next item, Joseph Horowitz’s lighthearted Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, Williamson described her surprise and excitement when recently the famous composer, now in his eighties, called her and invited her over to dinner. “We went through the Sonatina,” she said, “and he told me how each of the three movements should be played. The Allegro Calmato had to sound like a babbling brook, the second is based on the melody of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and the third – well the third goes like the clappers!”
Armed with this guidance from, so to speak, the horse’s mouth, Williamson played with superb confidence, the first movement concentrating on the middle register of the clarinet, with the piano providing the rippling background. In the second movement, Jerome Kern’s haunting melody echoed, almost ghost-like, through the lower notes of the clarinet against the chordal accompaniment.
Horowitz’ later compositions owe much to the influence of jazz and this was apparent in the third movement with its syncopated frenetic rhythms using the upper register of the clarinet, the piece calling for equal virtuosity both from pianist Reid and from Williamson.
After the interval came the most demanding performance of the evening, Brahms’ dauntingly difficult and demanding Sonata in F minor No 1. The rich tone of Williamson’s committed playing in the Allegro appassionato movement and her tenderness of expression in the Andante demonstrated her command of the range of moods that the clarinet is capable of producing. Her Vivace with its joyful dancing rhythm with sparkling runs on both clarinet and piano and variations on the theme of the preceding Allegretto was one of the most memorable performances of the evening.
Following what pianist John Reid described as ‘one of the heavyweights of the 19th century’ the evening closed in lighter mood with the popular ‘show-piece’ themes from La Traviata by Verdi, with Williamson’s clarinet producing an almost eerily voice-like sound as it danced with ease through the well-loved melodies.
Andy Brown, country chairman of Qatar Shell, in welcoming the audience to this, the last of the present series, commented that the four years of Shell-sponsored concerts had ‘provided Qatar’s music lovers with a time to relax and reflect in our busy lives.’
Nowadays, with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra giving regular performances and a newly launched series of concerts at the American School in Doha, plus concerts by the much-loved Doha Community Orchestra and regular evening performances for lovers of jazz in venues varying from hotels to Souq Waqif, music buffs are indeed ‘spoilt for choice’. But as little as four years ago the music scene was very different, and all those who love good music have cause to be grateful for the series of Qatar Foundation concerts sponsored by Shell Qatar. |
