The Ensō Quartet: Maureen Nelson, violin, Ken Hamao, violin, Richard Belcher, cello and Melissa Reardon, viola.

Musica Viva’s International Concert Season for 2016 continues with first-time visitors from New York, the Ensō String Quartet. In programmes of considerable diversity, this quartet demonstrates fine interpretative and ensemble skills. Its members communicate as a unified expressive dynamo across music from various cultures and periods.

The first time we hear this quartet perform, the programme opens with a world premiere of a commission work written for Musica Viva by the Australian composer Brenton Broadstock. Safe Haven (2016) is an imaginitive three movement set of variations on a Hungarian nursery song.

Safe Haven is a work commissioned by a husband for his wife who travelled to Australia as a refugee child with her parents. The concept of children needing a safe country when fleeing turmoil resonates well with modern audiences.

Also resonating well are the players’ clear and evocative presentation of the variations, complete with modern string effects and colourful manipulation of the nursery song theme. The playing of a commissioned musical work in live premiere performance as a surprise birthday gift from a husband to his wife is an exciting public artistic event for the audience to be part of.

The programme then moves back two hundred and seven years to String Quartet No 10 in E flat major Op 74 ‘The Harp’. The Ensō Quartet’s homogeneity of tone and attack serves this elegant work well. We witness some firm pizzicato with full singing quality in the first movement.

There is fine playing throughout this work in the softer part of the dynamic spectrum, and moments of full ensemble tone are saved for controlled use in true climaxes only. This quartet’s carefully graded crescendi to such high points is a joy to witness.

Following interval the audience is exposed to two twentieth century works, most likely for the first time. One is by the Spanish composer Joaquin Turina and the final piece is by the Argentinian Alberto Ginastera.

Serenata for String Quartet (1935) by Turina is full of unique character and colour, with the performance moving away from the Beethoven work to a more modern, lighthearted and individual expression. This music is very listenable and the first violin as well as cello fully exploit the cantabile lines where possible.

It is however the final piece  which is arguably the highlight of a solid programme, and a stunning conclusion to the concert. Ginastera’s sprawling String Quartet No 2 Op 26 (1968) brings us a quartet with avant garde techniques and sensibilities yet is timeless and attractive in its expression . This work showcased the Ensō Quartet as individuals and exponents of modern repertoire.

The quartets of Ginastera are something of a specialty for this quartet. They have all been recorded previously, and earned a Grammy award nomination. Ensō Quartet’s appreciation of the special drama and architecture of this composition is expertly shared with us in live performance.

This second quartet of Ginastera provides consistently fresh and prolonged intensities for the listener. Its slow second movement demands  controlled and gentle fugal playing, which unfolds  with good attention to structure in the hands of this ensemble.

More solos appear in movement four of this work. All members of the quartet are featured in separate variations. The fifth and final movement is a tour de force that ends the programme on a definite high and further endears the Ensō Quartet to us.

The Ensō Quartet are touring nationally for Musica Viva. The quartet  returns to the City Recital Hall on June 4 at 2pm. This slightly changed programme  features the Ravel String Quartet.