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Degas Quartet shows it takes four to tango
Opposition, dulity of dance captured in OR performance
September 19, 2005
by Harold Duckett
Knoxville News
There was a popular 1960s admonition to make love, not war. At the soul of Astor Piazzolla's evolutionary tango compositions, written during the mid-20th century and based on the Argentinean national passion, is the duality of doing both at the same time. At its best, the tango has always been a form saturated in the conflict inherent in the opposing forces. In a realization of the dance itself, the Argentinean people initially despised and ridiculed Piazzola for ruining their national heritage with his outrageous, demeaning compositions. Then they wildly celebrated him for reinventing their culture for the adulation of the world. In the Degas String Quartet's performance of Piazzolla's sensuous "Tango Ballet" on Saturday night in Oak Ridge, both the melancholic affection and the intense conflict were beautifully and painfully evident. For a talented ensemble of young musicians at the beginning of their careers, their depiction of the sad/romantic, resistant/submissive nature of the tango was mature and convincing, especially in the crying lament of the cello in the opening section, set against the sawing little complaints in the violins and viola.
More lyrical, but still melancholy in its coloring, was British composer Frank Bridge's short 1906 composition "Three Idylls."
Playing with the same skill as in the Piazzolla, the Degas were masters of the three short pieces' more singing sonorities.
In the big work of the evening, Franz Schubert's "String Quartet No. 14 in D minor," Op. Posth., D. 810, the concert got around to the ultimate struggle of life itself - the will to survive and the conquering power of death.
Like the beginning of Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony," the furious, obsessive opening is only an introduction to its dark, but oddly satisfying, explorations.
The Degas brilliantly delineated the piece's bold dynamics by shrouding them in quiet, soothing passages that were like a tender massage after being hit in the back of the head.
Then, as an exclamation point, they played the scherzo from Tchaikovsky's "String Quartet No. 1" as an encore.
Harold Duckett may be reached at 865-342-6447.
Hickory's Winning Approach
March 27, 2004
by John W. Lambert
Classical Voice of North Carolina
Hickory is a small city with a rich arts scene, graced by its own orchestra - the Western Piedmont Symphony, conducted by John Gordon Ross - and one of the best choirs in the state - the Hickory Choral Society, directed by J. Donald Coleman (whose performances have figured in several telecasts on WUNC-YV). The Catawba County town enjoys several advantages over, say, Raleigh, starting with the fact that it isn't, well, Raleigh. There's also not too much going on there, so what is done tends to be well supported by the public. And there have been some remarkable happenings there, over the years. For example, Hickory hosted J. Mark Scearce's Meet the Composer residency, becoming in the process the smallest town in the country to have done such a thing. And long before that three-year hitch, Ross had been championing new music at the WPS. The orchestra has also done other smart things, including engaging string quartets to play in the community and to head the orchestra's string sections. The incumbent group, the Degas Quartet, is the second resident ensemble, following in the wake of the Fry Street Quartet. The Degas' players - violinists James Dickenson and Tamaki Higashi, violist Simon Értz, and cellist Philip von Maltzahn - gave their final concert of the current season on March 27 in the attractive and acoustically appealing auditorium of the Catawba Valley Arts and Science Center, another of the remarkable Hickory projects: It was formerly Hickory High School. The group will stay on for at least one more season.
Following welcoming remarks by Maestro Ross, the program began with Mendelssohn's lovely Capriccio in E minor, No. 3 of four movements for quartet published as Op. 81. This was listed second in the program, after Haydn's "Sunrise" Quartet (the press releases had the correct order of performance), and some listeners may have been a bit confused at the outset - a person near me whispered "That's not the Haydn!" No, it wasn't but it was quite magical, reflecting the sure hand of a master composer for strings. There were excellent program notes on the piece, which ends with a complex fugue, Mendelssohn having been very much in the thrall of Bach, the revival of whose music he led in the 19th century. (For some reason, the notes also encompassed Mendelssohn's Op. 44/1, prompting several in attendance to wish the Degas had played it, too.)
The Haydn received a radiant reading in keeping with its nickname. The sound produced by the quartet and its sense of ensemble were exceptionally fine, and all the lines were distinctly audible during the frequent occasions when the score demands such clarity. It was a delight to savor the superior cello playing of von Maltzahn, the sweet soaring and invariably, secure to lines, played by Dickenson, and the strong inner voices, provided by Higashi and Értz, in such a comfortable and congenial room. This is a wonderful young ensemble, typical of many such quartets scattered around the country in places one wouldn't automatically think would support chamber music. The presence of this ensemble reflects favorably on Hickory and continues its long-standing tradition of cultural excellence.
The second half was devoted to a bracing reading of Schumann's Piano Quintet. The small Yamaha grand was played with great skill and keen partnership by Allen Kindt, Professor Emeritus of Piano at Appalachian State University. We regret not having heard this fine keyboard artist previously. He's played around a lot, and his name has appeared in CVNC's series tabs and calendars from time to time. His bio reveals his considerable background, which includes study with Sandor and Walter Hautzig and a host of other distinguished artists. He worked admirably with the younger quartet players, watching and listening intently, and the overall performance was a model of outstanding chamber music. We look forward to hearing Kindt again, with orchestra or in solo programs, and of course the Degas Quartet will be worth another trip to Hickory when they resume playing there again next season. Meanwhile, readers may check our calendar for the QPS' last concert, scheduled for April 3. It will feature the cellist of the Fry Street Quartet in Elgar's Concerto and, as previously noted, the Degas Quartet serves as the orchestra;s string principals.
Copyright © 2004 CVNC and the author. Reprinted with permission.
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