I must admit, I was leery.
In the paragon musical configuration of the Takacs Quartet that included the inspired violist Roger Tapping for the past decade, would the sound of the ensemble be compromised by his replacement?
In a word, no.
At Thursday’s Takacs concert at the Lakewood Cultural Center, the quartet’s proficiency and sense of immediacy were intact. The event also marked the launch of the center’s 2005-2006 Performing Arts Season, as well as the local debut of the quartet’s new violist, Geraldine Walther.
In a demanding and satisfying program of dense works, the foursome opened with Mozart’s “Dissonant” String Quartet in C Major.
Not only did Walther reveal a comfortable rapport with her colleagues and an amiable personality, the former principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony easily fell in step with the quartet’s intensity.
The big, round sound of her instrument deftly wove in and out among the harmonic irregularities and pulsing contrapuntal phrases of the first movement, overcoming a few fleeting instances of disconnect among the players. No doubt, cues and communication will strengthen over time.
In the slow and singing second movement, all of the quartet – including violinists Edward Dusinberre and Karoly Schranz, and cellist Andras Fejer – beautifully performed the climactic rising sequence passed from one to another.
Sounding less like Mozart and more like the heavier prose of his successors, the ardent central movement further thickened the atmosphere as boldly delivered by the quartet. But the overarching moodiness of the score was resolved in the final allegro movement, in which the Takacs smoothly transitioned from complex modulations and other intricate compositional techniques to a refreshingly simple conclusion.
It wasn’t until Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, however, that I breathed relief that the probity and elegance of the award-winning quartet – in residence at the University of Colorado’s College of Music since 1983 – was unscathed.
Merging and mingling with her colleagues throughout the lush and animated work, Walther intuitively matched both their momentum and the interpretive restraint. Especially superb was the interplay of her swift and clean pizzicato with Dusinberre’s expressive restatement of the same theme.
The second half of the program featured Erika Eckert – associate professor of viola at CU-Boulder – in Mozart’s String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor. Her well-defined playing complemented Walther’s for a resonant, penetrating effect in the lower registers. From the chromatic opening to the emotional – even tragic – character of the following movements, the quintet enacted the multidimensional work with precision and sensitivity.
Especially where Walther is concerned, there is reason to celebrate. Some quartets never recover when a longtime member leaves, but Walther is an authentic musician with a distinctive voice, poised to help usher in a new chapter in the quartet’s 31-year history.
Takacs Quartet
CHAMBER MUSIC|Grusin Music Hall, Imig Music Building, University of Colorado at Boulder; 7:30 tonight|SOLD OUT |303-492-8008 or cuconcerts.org
