tldr: the short story

An excellent concert from the Aroha Quartet and Diedre Irons.
The Haydn was energised and the Brahms was stormy, potent and robust. The applause confirmed the audience’s enjoyment of the performance.
Unbound, by Brigid Bisley was and excellent work – contemporary but accessible and very well played by the quartet.

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The long story:

‘The Bird‘ was an apt nickname for this Haydn Quartet. After a strong start the violins trilled, tweeted and chirruped above the solid earthiness of the cello and viola. The second movement was surprisingly brief – the ‘trio’ was actually a duo by the two violins. I enjoyed the hemiola – the triple meter accented to a duple for a few bars at the cadence. Initially I felt that the ambience of St Andrew’s was not good with the Classical precision of Haydn – the tonal quality and rhythms were slightly obfuscated. The Adagio fixed that impression and the slower tempo inspired a gorgeous sound from the whole quartet. There were some unusual harmonic progressions that made my ears prick up. The final movement Presto was spiky and energised – the rapid bow strokes and the profusion of notes was astounding.

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The second work by NZ composer Brigid Bisley gave the name to the whole concert: Unbound [footnote A]. It began with a harmonic accompaniment from the lower strings with a meditative solo from the first violin. Chirping, trills and glissandi were almost an echo from the Haydn – but it was more calm and thoughtful. Tones emerged from each instrument and the Robert Ibell‘s cello played extended pedal notes. Actually, Robert conducted the ensemble with his heard in a broad, quadruple meter. A second section was more dramatic – almost combative – with forceful pizzicati. A neo- (or made pseudo-) romantic melody was heard from the first violins, and again in octaves with the two violins. Zhongxian Jin‘s viola had a beautiful melody with the three other players holding a chord. The cello had a ground bass (the programme notes identified as a Ricercar) and the other three had a dissonant lament – initially chaotic like voices seperate opinions but settling down to a coherent conversation. The final cadence was not ‘final’.

Unbound was an excellent work – dissonance and consonance, tension and release. It was contemporary but very accessible and very well played by the quartet. [Not sure about the neo-pseudo-Romantic theme though. It seems to be out of place.]

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After the interval, the quartet became a quintet with the addition of esteemed maestra Diedre Irons. The collaboration was sublime. Sometimes the piano accompanied the quartet, sometimes the other way around and sometimes they were equal architectural partners in the magnificent edifice that Brahms created. The first movement was stormy and tempestuous. The second was almost the antithesis – a gorgeous, tender melody more like Schubert than Brahms! The piano announced the main melody, but the violin and cello duet was superb.
The Scherzo third movement was robust, potent and fanfare-like with dense textures – exhilarating. The coda had no perfect cadence and it seemed to be leading on to the fourth movement without a break? The Finale was again stormy – a calamitous consonance! This time the perfect cadence was triumphant and the applause confirmed the audience’s enjoyment of the performance.

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Footnote A
What are the odds?
Wellington is not a BIG city but a cultural one, so it was surprising (even spooky) to have two concerts in the same weekend with almost the same name: NZSO Shed Series concert on Saturday: Unwound, and on Sunday with the Aroha String Quartet: Unbound.
What are the odds?