On a Sunday afternoon in
mid-November, we experienced a concert by this monumentally talented string
quartet. The concert took place in a church in an up-scale neighborhood near
one of the campuses of the University of Minnesota.
Here in a universal denomination
Christian church, a diverse crowd has jammed into almost every available pew
and seat in the vaulted sanctuary to enjoy a concert of chamber music. And
enjoy we did. The concert consisted of lesser known pieces by Stravinsky,
Hayden and Tchaikovsky.
The three Stravinsky pieces were
precise, detailed and careful. As the concert continued, we noticed the
richness, the fullness of the sound. It became clear that there was more to the
experience than the expertise of the players, the sensitive interpretation, the
obvious genius in the compositions.
After the intermission and the
Tchaikovsky Quartet No. 3 in E Flat minor, Opus 30, filled the hall, it became
even more apparent that it wasn’t just the music, or the talent of the
musicians. It wasn’t the hall or the audience, but there was a unique presence.
Each of the four musicians was performing on an outstanding and ancient
instrument. From two Guadagnini violins dating from the 1700’s to a viola
created in 1660 and a cello that dates to 1706, the quality of the sound from
these four special stringed instruments is noticeable in their rich, mellow
spectacular vibrations. The sounds of the quartet of strings immeasurably
enhanced our experience of the pieces we experienced. It was yet another rivh
experience in the thirty-five year old series of Music in The Park.
