No surprise, Wednesday night’s Friends of Chamber Music concert was an inspiring, memorable experience.
On stage at Gates Concert Hall was the Brentano String Quartet, named for Antonie Brentano, who was believed to be the recipient of Beethoven’s legendary declaration of love.
Familiar to Colorado audiences, the quartet delivered a polished and insightful interpretation of Beethoven’s “String Quartet in E-flat Major”. With tremendous power and endurance, each group member — first violinist Mark Steinberg, second violinist Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory and electrifying cellist Nina Maria Lee — drew on the others for a connected, emotive performance.
Upon the strident opening chords, a tender melody ensued. The chord-melody pattern repeated several times, was expertly delivered by the quartet in contrasting keys and through nuanced dynamics. The theme and variations of the weighty second movement further drove home the quartet’s clear, unified sound, as did the joyfully rhythmic third movement.
In the finale, the quartet closed the evening with finesse, verve and vitality.
The centerpiece was a new work by Stephen Hartke, composed for the Brentano quartet and premiered by the foursome in October 2009. “Night Songs for a Desert Flower”, dedicated to Hartke’s wife, is a compelling, often severe abstraction of human emotions.
Spotlighting the cello as narrator, the well-constructed, four-movement work is replete with tight harmonies played over rhythmic motifs.
Especially gripping was the warmth of the intermezzo that led into the festive, rejoicing conclusion.
The program opened with Franz Schubert’s) masterful “Quartettsatz” in C minor, a vigorous, tantalizing start. Playing to a full house, the Brentano quartet quickly established its distinctive synthesis of drama, animation, visceral ferocity and soulful expression.
Each time the main theme returned, it was delivered as if for the first time, always crisp and concise, and always simmering with meaning.
The Friends of Chamber Music series continues on March 17 with pianist Arnaldo Cohen.
