A core group of twelve cellists – comprising a mixture of professionals and students from the Australian National Academy of Music – performed works by Bunting, Vivaldi (with exquisite solos from Gabriel Schwabe) and Handel. The first half concluded with a work by the festival’s featured composer Anatolijus Senderovas written for master cellist David Geringas, David’s Song. The Baudin String Quartet performed alongside Geringas in this exciting piece, something of a departure from music by Senderovas heard the night before with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. This time he called upon the performers to go beyond their instruments, occasionally shouting, interrupting each other with shrieks and squeals and eventually whispering before Geringas brought the piece to a dramatic close.

The concert’s second half began with a solo performance by Geringas of Pablo Casal’s Song of the Birds, marking the debut of the brand new cello that had been built for the festival in a mere 10 days. I might point out that the usual time for construction varies but is usually at a minimum around two-and-a-half months, not including the varnishing process.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Alex Grant, a Melbourne violin maker who was part of the team that built this instrument. In describing the process behind the construction of the cello he explained that six makers were always doing some part of the work, labouring over essential components such as the scroll, back plate, top plate and rib structure. The more complete the cello became however, the fewer people could work on it.

I couldn’t help but wonder how all these pieces miraculously fit together having been individually crafted. Grant went on to explain that specifications were agreed upon in the planning stage prior to construction. This particular cello was modeled on a 1692 Guarneri. He described this as a fantastic project envisaged by Janis Laurs, the festival’s artistic director. He paid tribute to the great initiative behind the idea and what Laurs achieved in creating a unique opportunity for solitary craftsmen to collaborate, share ideas and observe each other’s work practices.

I must make a mention of the Rastrelli Cello Quartet which made a guest appearance that I think had everyone in the Elder Hall in awe. The four Russian cellists gave what appeared to be an impromptu performance, borrowing instruments from four players on stage. Performing without any music in front of them, they played and improvised with perfect intonation, style and with a definite groove. Check out some of their videos on YouTube – some very cool stuff!

Finally I’d like to give my thanks to Janis Laurs, artistic director of this wonderful festival that brought together cellists from all over the country and overseas. The value of events such as these are immeasurable. Gaining exposure to world-class cellists, seeing how they teach, hearing how they play, meeting like-minded cellists and participating in a weeklong forum of debate and discussion are all invaluable opportunities that this festival has created for us. It’s not only cellists that have benefited from this though: instrument makers, teachers, musicians of all instruments and of course audiences including the general public who flooded to Elder Con for some of the events on offer all took something away from this week.

I leave Adelaide on a high, determined to get back into some good practice inspired by my experiences over the past few days. My next stop is Brisbane this weekend before heading back to Sydney for the Musica Viva Festival.