United States Various: Calidore Quartet, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, New York, 27.10.2024; Chiaroscuro Quartet, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York, 30.10.2024; Junction Trio, Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y, New York, 1.11.2024. (ES-S)
This past week showcased the high caliber of chamber music performances taking place in New York City’s diverse smaller venues – which often find themselves competing for musicians and audiences – over just a few days.
On Sunday, the Calidore Quartet performed Beethoven’s last three Op.18 string quartets at Alice Tully Hall, continuing their season-long exploration of the complete set. Taking on the full cycle is a daunting task for any ensemble, especially when building upon the legacies of the Emerson and Danish String Quartets, who also undertook this journey under the aegis of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Although the quartet had previously described the task as a ‘herculean endeavor physically, intellectually and emotionally’, they approached their second recital in the series with great confidence – and rightly so.
In 1800, Beethoven’s engagement with the string quartet stood at a crossroads – a fascinating synthesis rooted in tradition while also looking decades ahead. In their remarkable performance, the members of the Calidore Quartet, founded in 2010 at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles, revealed both the struggle and the unmistakable confidence of a young composer carving his own path.
The String Quartet No.5 in A major with which they opened the program is often regarded as a nod to Mozart’s String Quartet No.18 in A major, due to its grace, thematic clarity and the handling of a theme with variations in the third movement. However, the delicate harmonic shifts in the Menuetto already suggest Beethovenian complexity. The foursome, sharing a similar approach to shaping musical phrases, displayed a remarkable lightness of touch in their dynamically balanced approach, adeptly avoiding premonitory hints of undue angst while illuminating the music’s inherent beauty.
The following String Quartet No.4 in C minor is marked by Haydn-like sharp dynamic shifts, which Beethoven intensifies as he explores more profound emotions, an approach similar to that found in the quasi-contemporary Piano Sonata No.8 (‘Pathétique’) composed in the same key. The performance exuded drive and dramatic urgency in the first and last movements, while in the middle sections it minimized – with humor and unbridled energy – the distinctions between Scherzo and Menuetto.
The last quartet in the series – No.6 in B-flat major – is the most forward looking. Appearing to play a Haydnesque game of building up and overturning expectations, the music breaks further and further away from established conventions. Accordingly, the four instrumentalists highlighted the sudden shifts to remote keys in the first two movements and the unsteady meter underpinning the apparent gaiety of the Scherzo. The famed ‘La Malinconia’ segment, the high point of the entire Op.18, abruptly emerged right when one expects an affirmative Allegro. Along their journey, the Calidore Quartet clarified how this deeply personal statement has its roots in the shadows surrounding the second theme of the first movement and the subtle whispering of the Adagio ma non troppo. In their interpretation, the pervasive melancholy seemed only temporarily banished by the apparent cheerfulness of the other component of the finale – the ballroom-dance-evoking Allegretto quasi Allegro – despite the uplifting Prestissimo of the final bars.
On Wednesday night, the Chiaroscuro Quartet performed two masterpieces in Carnegie Hall’s intimate Weill Recital Hall: Mozart’s ‘Dissonance’ Quartet and Schubert’s String Quartet No. 15. Although Beethoven’s music was not part of the program, his spirit seemed to linger throughout the recital, like a bridge engulfed in fog yet undeniably present. If there was a particular shadow looming over the evening, it was surely Beethoven’s Op.132 quartet which, like the two works presented, opens with unsettled harmonies and shifts that build unexpected tension.
Returning to Carnegie Hall five years after another Mozart-Schubert evening, when Kristian Bezuidenhout played the fortepiano, the group – founded in 2005 – forcefully reminded listeners of their distinctive place in the crowded field of string quartets. Led by the highly skilled and sensitive violinist Alina Ibragimova, the Chiaroscuro Quartet employs gut strings, historical bows and techniques like restrained vibrato and minimal portamento to infuse their performances with a historically informed character. Yet their playing is far from the blandness often associated with such interpretations: it unmistakably carries a modern touch. The results could occasionally come across as rough, with the playing appearing overly black-and-white and lacking the subtle gray nuances in between. Nevertheless, once accustomed to their style and timbre, it is easy to appreciate the directness and sincerity of the endeavor.
Their approach seemed to suit Mozart better than Schubert. In the glorious Quartet No.19 – the last in the set that Mozart famously dedicated to his ‘very dear friend’ Joseph Haydn – the musical tapestry was light and transparent. The harmonic tensions, particularly in the extraordinary 22 introductory bars, alongside intricately interwoven contrapuntal passages, were sharply delineated, adding depth to clarity. The second movement’s long melodic lines, passed seamlessly between instruments, conveyed an innate solemnity. In contrast, the Menuetto sounded gracefully playful, with individual notes articulated delicately, while the rhythmic breadth of the final Allegro captivated the audience with its infectious energy.
The Quartet No.15 in G major is Schubert’s last and most ambitious work in the genre. The Chiaroscuro Quartet gave an interpretation marked by a high level of energy and skillful interspersing of grand and delicate statements, as well as stormy and serene passages. However, the overall introspective quality of D.887, with its on-and-off acceptance of mortality, was less palpable. Furthermore, the interpretation did not sufficiently convey the thematic material’s subsumed vocal character, which links Schubert’s instrumental music to his lieder.
Compared to the two string ensembles heard earlier in the week, the Junction Trio is relatively young. Formed in 2015 by three musicians with independent careers who occasionally collaborate to explore a remarkable yet underrepresented repertoire, the trio made its debut at the 92nd Street Y on this occasion. Violinist Stefan Jackiw, cellist Jay Campbell and pianist Conrad Tao opened their performance with Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No.2, delivering a rendition notable for its visceral rawness. This quality extended from the witty, caustic Allegro con brio and the sardonic, klezmer-inspired dance – intoned by the piano and accompanied by pizzicato strings – in the ginale, permeating the entire performance. While extended moments of calm, such as the eerie opening bars or the strings’ canon over the piano chords in the Largo passacaglia, offered stark contrast, the overarching impression was one of unbridled energy.
The other major piece on the program was the 1889 revision of Brahms’s Piano Trio No.1 in B major, a work of symphonic proportions in both length and thematic richness. Lushly expressive and resonant, this trio allows the musicians to highlight both their unique voices and their cohesion as an ensemble. The members of the Junction Trio did not shy away from presenting the first movement in its Romantic splendor with characteristic warmth. Cellist Jay Campbell, playing the composer’s favored instrument, infused the arching first theme with a sense of nobility that resonated throughout the piece, including the superb opening statement of the Finale. The sensitivity among the players was evident, particularly in the Adagio, with its piano chords supporting brooding, interlaced strings – a movement that might well have served as a model for Shostakovich’s analogous section heard earlier. The constant intertwining of Jackiw’s and Campbell’s sumptuous lines over Tao’s subtly supportive accompaniment was a standout feature of this rendition. The pianist had his own sparkling moments in the Mendelssohn-like Scherzo.
Bookended by the Shostakovich and Brahms trios was the world premiere of John Zorn’s Philosophical Investigations II which, like its 2022 predecessor, draws its title from a late work by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Echoing the philosopher’s perspective that the meaning of words is context-dependent, Zorn engages in his own ‘language games’, extracting small segments from well-known compositions – such as the introduction to the Brahms Trio featured in the second half of the program – and surrounding them with cocoons of texture and rhythm that transform their original meaning. Encouraging listeners to reflect on their own understanding of the interplay between sounds and meanings, this second variation on the theme – at times very busy and at others sparse and lyrical – might be followed by others that the Junction Trio may be prepared to present. After all, we live in an era of fascination with games of all sorts!
Edward Sava-Segal
Featured Image: The Chiaroscuro Quartet © Fadi Kheir
27.10.2024: Calidore String Quartet: Jeffrey Myers, Ryan Meehan (violins), Jeremy Berry (viola), Estelle Choi (cello). Alice Tully Hall.
Beethoven – String Quartet No.5 in A major, Op.18; String Quartet No.4 in C minor, Op.18; String Quartet No.6 in B-flat major, Op.18
30.10.2024: Chiaroscuro String Quartet: Alina Ibragimova, Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux (violins), Emilie Hörnlund (viola), Claire Thirion (cello). Weill Recital Hall.
Mozart – String Quartet No.19 in C major, K.465, ‘Dissonance’
Schubert – String Quartet No.15 in G major, D.887
1.11.2024: Junction Trio; Stefan Jackiw (violin), Jay Campbell (cello), Conrad Tao (piano). Kaufmann Concert Hall.
Shostakovich – Piano Trio No.2 in E minor, Op.67
John Zorn – Philosophical Investigations II
Brahms – Piano Trio No.1 in B major, Op.8