There are few better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than enjoying a program of musical delights from Queensland’s foremost chamber orchestra, Ensemble Q. The first concert of their Sundays by the Lake program, The Mendelssohns, did not disappoint, showcasing two pieces each by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn against the spectacular lake backdrop at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.

Teens Coco Li, Serena Kang, Alessandro Martinez, and Samuel Wu of Mini Q, Ensemble Q’s mentorship program for talented youngsters, provided the amuse-bouche of a Sunday feast of chamber music, playing an excerpt from Ravel’s challenging String Quartet in F major. Their rendition was flawless, with lovely intonation and perfect pizzicato. It is reassuring that there are gifted Queensland musicians waiting in the wings.

Ensemble Q: The Mendelssohns at GHD Auditorium, Universitry of Queensland. Photo supplied

Ensemble Q’s Composer-in-Residence, Anne Cawrse’s Sanctuary for violin and cello, contemplates “what makes a place special”. Inspired by migrating shorebirds, the delicate strings, reminiscent of a Scottish air, were punctuated by frenzied flocks feeding, depicted by Adam Chalabi’s violin and punctuated with delectable pauses of silence.

Co-Artistic Director Trish Dean’s cello glissandos mimicked the gliding cockatoos outside the window feeding by the lake, before the piece closed with an exquisite fading violin as the last cockatoo soared skywards.

Felix Mendelssohn’s masterwork Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor is often regarded as a defining composition of Romantic chamber music. The four movements require extreme virtuosity, casually demonstrated by pianist extraordinaire and Ensemble Q co-founder Daniel de Borah. His fingers were a blur as the notes tumbled over one another, cascading like water over Victoria Falls to meet the violin and cello below in a turbulent maelstrom of melody. If you listen closely, there are elements of Richard Rodgers’ My Favourite Things – “When the dog bites, when the bee stings”. Maybe it’s just me, but once you’ve heard it you can’t stop noticing it.

Mendelssohn’s signature scherzo contrasts mercurially with the delicate second movement, with waves of passion issuing from Dean’s resonant cello and gypsy-styled fiddling from Chalabi. Such contrasting textures would normally be expected from an orchestra rather than a mere trio, and the impact was overwhelming.

Paul Dean and Trish Dean: The Mendelssohns at GHD Auditorium, Universitry of Queensland. Photo supplied

Co-Artistic Director Paul Dean was on form as MC, with his usual witty and informative banter. He described the closeness of the Mendelssohn siblings, with Fanny acting as a mentor and champion for Felix. On International Women’s Day, it is concerning that her compositions have only been widely appreciated and performed since the late 20th century, when she was clearly the match of her younger brother.

Ensemble Q saved the best for last with Fanny’s tremendous String Quartet in E flat major, the highlight of the concert. Despite being one of her greatest large-scale works, it was adapted from an earlier unfinished piano sonata written only weeks before her marriage to Wilhelm Hensel. The Romantic idiom is bursting with passion and a desperate sense of urgency. Starting with motivic, twiddling violins in the urgent Adagio, the second movement bounces around, complemented by an erratic cello and evocative echoing strings.

Fanny’s Allegro molto vivace is incredible, in my opinion overshadowing the popular works by her celebrated brother. It returns to the urgency of the first movement, seeming to be in pursuit of some unattainable goal – perhaps equal recognition for a female composer.

Ensemble Q: The Mendelssohns at GHD Auditorium, Universitry of Queensland. Photo supplied

Guest violist Julian Duthoit, fresh from his studies in Germany and embarking on his new position as Assistant Principal Viola with the QSO, was bursting with energy as he raced against the frantic cello. Goaded on by Anne Horton on the sprinting violin, there were only brief pauses for Mendelssohn’s entrancing melodies. Meanwhile, Chalabi’s violin seemed to be smoking as he accelerated in pursuit of the viola for an exciting photo finish, grasping his face in relief as his final note echoed around the auditorium.

Ensemble Q, Queensland’s chamber orchestra for the elite, delivered an entertaining and flawless virtuosic performance in the first of their Sundays by the Lake program, with only three more concerts this year. Fortunately, the performance was recorded for broadcast by ABC Classic, to be aired on 31 March at 1pm.

For more information on Ensemble Q’s Sundays by the Lake series, visit this link.