Friday, November 18, 2016

Juilliard Chamber Music: Mozart, Schubert and Haydn

At this week's installment of Wednesdays at One at Alice Tully Hall, the Bordone Quartet - consisting of Daniel Cho and Max Tan, violins; Jenni Seo, viola; and Ari Evan, cello - gave an hour-long recital that featured the music of Mozart, Schubert and Haydn.  The ensemble is part of Juilliard's Honors Chamber Music program, described in the program notes as an "intensive yearlong program for select ensembles under the direction of Joseph Lin."  This particular group of musicians was coached by Roger Tapping of the Juilliard Quartet and Daniel Phillips of the Orion Quartet.

The program opened with Mozart's String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat major, K. 589 (1790), the second of his "Prussian" quartets.  The works in question were given this name on the assumption that they were the result of a commission from King Frederick William II of Prussia.  There is some question, though, whether such a commission actually existed since Mozart took a year off after having completed the first of the series in order to devote himself to the composition of Così fan tutte, the third of the Da Ponte operas.  It's true that the cello is in these quartets given a more prominent role than is customary - Frederick William was an avid amateur cellist - but there is no evidence the king ever actually saw or performed these works.  They were finally published posthumously in 1792.  Although perhaps not as innovative as Mozart's "Haydn" quartets or his "viola" quintets, this is still a work of astonishing beauty, especially in the second movement larghetto, and one of the masterpieces of the chamber repertoire.

The next work was Schubert's String Quartet No. 12 in C minor, D. 703 (1820), known as the Quartettsatz.  This one-movement piece, like the much more famous Symphony No. 8, is an unfinished work.  Schubert obviously intended it as the opening movement of a traditional four-movement quartet and in fact began work on the second movement andante before abandoning the project.  As in the case of the No. 8, there is no known reason why the quartet was not completed and conjecture abounds as to the cause.  I think it most likely that Schubert was not yet skilled enough to attempt the heights he later achieved in his final three quartets and, realizing this, put the work aside.  Still, the Quartettsatz represents a huge advance over his previous eleven quartets and points the way to the magnificence of the composer's final years.  The allegro assai is full of fire and passion and thoroughly captivating.  The importance of this work was not immediately recognized, however, and the quartet was not premiered until 1867, almost a half century after its composition.

The final piece was the first movement of Haydn's String Quartet No.  59 in G minor, Op. 74, No. 3 (1793), nicknamed the "Rider" for the galloping (or cantering) rhythm that opens the work.  Dedicated to Haydn's fellow Freemason, Count Apponyi, the Op. 74 quartets may not have been as groundbreaking as those of the Op. 20 or 33, but they are still fine examples of the classical quartet form and very enjoyable to hear.  I only wish there had been time enough for the musicians to have performed the quartet in its entirety.  One can never really appreciate any musical piece when hearing only a fragment.

At another Honors Chamber recital last season, Joseph Lin emphasized that the performance was still a "work in progress."  Nevertheless, the chamber performances given by Juilliard musicians in this program were quite polished and satisfying to hear.  Considering that the first semester is only halfway done, the virtuosity shown by all four musicians, even at this early point, was remarkable.

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