The string quartet was developed and made popular by the composer Haydn in the second half of the 18th century. Ever since then, the quartet has become much more than a simple grouping of two violins, viola and cello – it became a very serious art form which composers have used to test their skills and gain prestige. The conventions that Haydn cemented were on full display in this evening’s concert by the NCO principal string players - Nicholas Ward on first violin, Simon Gilks on second violin, Richard Muncey on viola and Cara Berridge on cello.
The opening quartet was Beethoven’s – Op 18 no. 4 was first published in 1801. At that time, Haydn himself had completed two of his final three quartets and would go on to finish his last quartet in 1803. Indeed this period marks the transition from Beethoven’s early period into his middle period so it is no surprise to encounter a mix of Beethoven’s classical skills and his more individual, romantic leaning characteristics. Here, he played with the form of the quartet, doing away with the traditional slow second movement and replacing it with an more lively tempo movement - perhaps the sombre mood of this C minor work would have been too much if it contained an adagio. The NCO soloists immediately grabbed the drama and intensity of this composition with a strident opening tempo and delicate yet powerful dynamic. The melodic material shifted around the quartet in bursts of energy and contrasting moments of subtle intimacy. While C minor is reserved for Beethoven’s most dramatic compositions, including his most famous 5th symphony, I feel that this particular composition was a vehicle to show off his talent as a string writer and to present some of his structural ideas rather than an episode of deepest artistic communication. The NCO soloists certainly displayed their own collective talent, which always surprises you no matter how often you hear them, but were also able to present the pathos of this piece out in a touching way. The daring tempos of the menuet da capo and the final section of the last movement, which ends the entire piece in the major provided an assured delivery of Beethoven’s typical fire.
Another composer with plenty of drama - Shostakovich – composed the second string quartet of the evening, String Quartet Number 12. Written in 1968, this piece reflects some very deep emotions and with no surprise – Shostakovich had been diagnosed with polio in 1965, which left his right hand crippled. He suffered various falls and had broken both his legs and suffered a heart attack around this time. Death and his own fleeing mortality were themes of much of his work at this time – and all this after having endured many years under the immediate threat of death due to Stalin’s creative oppression. In this quartet, written long after Stalin’s death, Shostakovich turns to those traditions of the 20th Century that he had not too frequently entertained. There is a strong character of the 12 note tone row from the outset and while this is not a serialist piece, the moments of dissonance are intense and absolutely abstract, perhaps reflecting those thoughts and emotions that have no name. Contrasting with this, moments of intimate and sublime melody sing out like a prayer. Shostakovich often gave his most meaningful phrases to the lower section of the orchestra, and in this piece - while all of the players have moments to shine, it was indeed the cello playing of Cara Betteridge which really shone out with deep tenderness on the one hand, and intense, disconnected and precise moments of abstraction on the other.
Shostakovich indeed shows off his mighty talent as a composer for strings and a huge variety of techniques are written in to the composition. The NCO were able to control this extremely difficult piece with relish without getting lost in the page – this was another touching performance.
An anecdotal moment happened at the end of the first moment – this section ends with a delicate lament that fades away to nothing over a period of nearly 5 slow measures. In the last breath of this, a sudden wind seemed to lift the roof off the church and the church doors blasted open forcefully. This sudden gust clearly startled the audience, but it was over as soon as it happened and the striking second movement began.
Christchurch was a warm and welcoming space that really supported the intimate nature of this evening’s concert. After the interval, during which complimentary drinks were served at the back, the final quartet of the evening was performed – Tchaikovsky’s – String Quartet in D Major Op 11. Tchaikovsky wrote only three string quartets and this, written in his early career, is his first. The first movement displays some of his finer developmental writing and the third movement has a strikingly Russian character, which is unusual for Tchaikovsky who did not embrace the nationalistic movement that was popular at that time as much as his contemporaries Grieg or Sibelius. The NCO were able to present a sweet, lyrical tone to this piece and projected the late romantic style with authority.
There were many potentially challenging moments throughout the performances tonight, but the NCO soloists performed flawlessly and where challenge is often sought to be controlled, these wonderful musicians rose above merely delivering and pushed themselves to create a moments of sublime and delicate expression.
Reviewer - Aaron Loughrey
on - 9/11/18
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