Concert review: Ethel; Alice Loggins-Hull (flute)

The programme Persist presented by string quartet Ethel and flautist/composer Alice Loggins-Hull at Merkin Hall showcased commissions by four early-career composers in addition to a work by Loggins-Hull in anticipation of their album release in December. Each work celebrated in its own way the ability of people in times of difficulty to persist through courage, hope and patience. The works differed from each other in form and feel, but were all played with commitment and dexterity.

The ethereal beginning of Sam Wu’s Terraria gave way to a driving, rhythmic music played with precision by the strings, with flute flourishes riding above them. Migiwa ‘Miggy’ Miyajima’s new work, the Reconciliation Suite, exploited her background as a jazz pianist and the ensemble embraced the genre compellingly, even if there were moments where the work seemed a bit fragmented. Hawaiian composer Leilehua Lanzilotti’s we began this quilt there started out gently enough, with guitar-style strumming pizzicato in the strings underneath beautiful flute melismas, but it was soon transformed into an almost visceral music representing the groaning of the earth through Bach-like bariolage. PillowTalk by Xavier Muzik offered fragments that built upon each other and the Ethel’s approach to its controlled chaos ensured that the music never lost its sense of purpose. But it was Persist by Loggins-Hull that proved the highlight of the evening, with a lyrical opening and rich texture thanks to sampling plus string playing that conveyed the structure of the composition.

LEAH HOLLINGSWORTH