String quartet presents captivating performance
The Dover Quartet has recently been the recipient of international acclaim and numerous prestigious awards, and last night, presented by Chamber Music Columbus, they demonstrated their extraordinary musicianship at the Southern Theatre.
The musical program was a sort of “test run” for the quartet’s upcoming Carnegie Hall debut, combining challenging classical works that require as much artistry as technique.
Clean melodies and straightforward structure in Antonin Dvorak’s Quartet in F major allowed each musician to imbue his or her part with distinctive voice. A fervent first violin line played against an elegant viola, with interjections from a stoic second violin and wistful cello. The combination of these differing voices added a new richness and deeper connection to the work.
With virtually no reverberation in the theater, every note was exposed. In the initial few bars of Dvorak’s quartet, the artists had slight trouble finding their cohesion, but a few minutes later, they were fully attuned to one another.
The simply crafted second movement had an ingenuous charm, and the third and fourth movements combined spirit with grace.
Alban Berg’s compositional techniques and tonalities can often be as challenging for uninitiated listeners to hear as it is for the musicians to perform. Through careful balance and a respectful approach, however, Berg’s Quartet, op. 3 stood strongly. The work may not have been understandable for some, but, in the quartet’s hands, it felt understandable.
The second movement, more restless than the first, showcased the group’s musical intelligence and artistic skill. Nearly indiscernible, but significant, shifts in shading and phrasing accentuated Berg’s constant redirections in energy and focus.
Approaching the emotionally complicated works of Beethoven often leaves more stylistic questions than answers. Last night, the quartet approached the Quartet in F major, op. 59 with an easy sensibility, moving between contentment, wistfulness, and fervent joy with graceful articulation. Even in the fieriest passages, they retained refinement and approachability.
Although the second violin lines were sometimes lost, and the off-beat and syncopated rhythmic figures in the fourth movement needed cleaner attack for better precision, the work was otherwise balanced and well-polished.
These musicians are young, full of energy and engaging with the audience. When a broken viola string brought one of the pieces to a halt, they excused themselves temporarily, joking that their other, less desirable, immediate option was stand-up comedy. With such an informed and captivating performance, last night’s audience will likely talk about the Dover Quartet for quite some time.