So, a few weeks ago, the Takács Quartet was in Berlin, and while I was not too enthusiastic about the program, I also knew that they are a rather respected string quartet, and so I procured a ticket. They were playing three pieces from three different musical periods, and while I thought this was rather too much all over the place, the fact that one of them was a contemporary piece made me want to see it.
The first piece they played was Joseph Haydn's String Quartet in G minor, Op. 74 No. 3 ("The Rider"). Written in 1793, this is a cornerstone of the Classical era. It features a standard four-movement structure: a dramatic opening, a soulful Largo, a Minuet, and the famous "galloping" finale that gives it its nickname. The orchestration is purely transparent, focusing on thematic development and conversational interplay between the four instruments. Now, this piece lacks the visceral, dissonant punch of the works I typically enjoy. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed the performance. It's perhaps one of the more exciting Haydn string quartets.
The second piece was Clarice Assad's Nexus for String Quartet. I was looking forward to this piece, given that it is a contemporary one. However, I have to say that I thought the music was rather underwhelming. I haven't heard of any of her music before, and this one was more on the theatrical side. She required members of the string quartet to move around, and do other things than just play music. There was some elements of acting, and I have to say, these were more distracting than entertaining. I won't fault the Takács Quartet here, I assume they were just following the composer's directions. But really, perhaps I should stay with the string quartets that are more known to performing contemporary works. This one - as much as I thought I would like it due to it being a contemporary piece - ended up more like slapstick, I have to say.
The final piece was Claude Debussy's one and only string quartet, String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10. Composed in 1893, this quartet broke the mold of the 19th century. It uses a "cyclic" form where themes return in different guises across movements. The music is famous for its shimmering textures, exotic scales (whole-tone and Phrygian), and a pizzicato-heavy second movement that sounds almost like a gamelan. It is the direct ancestor to several of the modernist works that I enjoy. So yes, I enjoyed this one.
Overall, I liked the concert, but I wished there was a little bit more unity in the individual program pieces.
