St Petersburg String Quartet returns to Newtown
By Jan Stribula
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-TIMES
NEWTOWN - Back by popular demand, the globe trotting St. Petersburg
String Quartet (SPSQ) managed to make a return trip to the Edmond Town
Hall for a moving recital last weekend. In her introduction, Newtown Friends
of Music President Ellen Parrella paid tribute to the recent passing of
world renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.
The SPSQ had studied under one of Rostropovich's colleagues at the Leningrad
Conservatory. Dressed in black, the quartet seemed to be giving an unspoken
memorial in his honor. Although the music for the program was chosen months
ago, it was completely appropriate for the occasion, especially the first
two selections.
It has been said that no one listens to a string quartet quite the same
way as the four musicians themselves. Playing beautifully together, the
members of the SPSQ are Alla Aranovskaya, 1st violin; Alla Krolevich,
2nd violin; Boris Vayner, viola; and Leonid Shukayev, cello. They combined
with color and clarity creating a wonderfully unified energy.
The started with "String Quartet in A minor, Opus 13" by Felix
Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847). Somewhat unusual sounding for the composer,
the work has been compared to later quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770
- 1827), particularly his Op.132, placing the piece on the periphery of
what we currently call modern music.
The opening phrase instilled a reflective mood that was revisited in the
second movement, and again at the satisfying conclusion. At the forefront,
Aronovskaya led the quartet as they created rich variations, attentively
hearing, watching, feeling, and following each other performing as if
they were one. Krolevich and Vayner filled in the middle ranges at times
together as a duet, other times complementing one another. Shukayev's
cello anchored the sound with distinct resonance.
They continued with "Quartet No 4 in D Major, Opus 83" by Dmitri
Shostakovich (1609 - 1975), who like Rostropovich, was in and out of favor
with political powers. Written in 1948, the quartet was not released until
after the death of Stalin four years later. Dissonant and dissident, the
piece was Shostakovich's response to some of the horrors of World War
II. Letting the music speak for itself, the SPSQ gave forceful statements
of the emotional messages in the work. In the andantino, Shukayev was
intensely involved with the material, making his own connections with
Rostropovich and Shostakovich through his cello.
The mood lightened following intermission with the lyrical "String
Quartet No.1 in D Major, Opus 11" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840
- 1893). The rhythmic harmonies were played with precise articulation
and superb control of dynamics. The popular Andante cantabile had delicacy
and warmth.
For an encore, they played "Novelette in Hungarian Style," a
delightful up-tempo folk dance by Aleksandr Galzunov (1865 - 1936). The
SPSQ is a special ensemble that brings brilliance and vitality that reenergizes
chamber music.
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