Daedalus String Quartet in Gualala

DAEDALUS BRINGS RICH LIFE TO SCHUBERT'S DEATH AND THE MAIDEN QUARTET

In their return appearance March 20 at Gualala Arts, the Daedalus String Quartet presented a varied yet well-balanced program.

The Daedalus opened with Mozart's Quartet No. 22 in B-flat major, K.589, the third of the three “Prussian” quartets composed in 1790 for King Friederich Wilhelm II. There is an ongoing debate about whether these were actually commissioned by the Prussian court, or composed specifically for King Friederich, an amateur cellist, to play.

The B-Flat Major Quartet is one of Mozart's later and more complex pieces, requiring precise and energetic playing. Violinists Min-Young Kim and Ara Gregorian, violist Jessica Thompson and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan gave it just that combination of attention to detail with controlled enthusiasm. The opening Allegro's tender call and response set the stage for increasingly passionate interaction between the instruments. The lovely Larghetto movement has the cello wooing the first violin, leading to a passionate interchange in the Menuetto: Moderato. Unfortunately by the fourth movement's dancelike opening the day's fickle weather was making its own mark. Ms. Kim's violin was becoming increasingly shrill, unfairly dominating the Allegro assai despite excellent playing from all four musicians.

After a sojourn in the kitchen to counteract the changing temperature, humidity, barometric pressure or whatever weather aspect it is that can so easily affect a sensitive instrument, the Daedalus turned to the opening of Fred Lerdahl's Second String Quartet (from 1982, revised in 2010), each instrument singing with its best colors. And it was singing in a story that was at times beautiful, at times weird. Perhaps the greatest fascination came from watching the movements that created the unusual tones, runs of notes, clip clops of wood on wood (“al legno” in more traditional pieces) and other stranger sounds.

What did the compositions sound like as a whole? To my ears Lerdahl must have been sitting on top of my house the previous night translating one of nature's more terrifying storms into a composition. The many who purchased tickets to this concert but couldn't attend because of weather related barriers might have found such a re-creation of the storm hard to appreciate.

But all was forgiven by the close of the concert. The Daedalus’ post intermission performance of Franz Schubert's String Quartet No.14 in D minor, D.810, could not have been more beautifully played.

With Mr. Gregorian sitting as first violin, the Quartet was intensely engaged in every note, every physical movement, needed to perform Schubert's masterpiece. The opening Allegro started with vigorous playing that exuded power before it finished on an unexpectedly gentle note. The Andante con moto movement illustrates Schubert's song "Death and the Maiden" with a slow in tutti opening leading to a beautiful cantabile passage over a growly cello line. This theme and variation movement brought us five complex passages before closing with what could only be the maiden's cry of despair.

The closing short Scherzo: Allegro molto and longer Presto increased in passion and intensity. The last is a Tarantella: that dance of death that frenzied dance of death that both mocks and ultimately succumbs to the Grim Reaper.

The Maiden is with Death, long live the quartet.