REVIEW: Quatuor Danel: The Weinberg Cycle - The Martin Harris Centre, Manchester.

The University of Manchester hosted a series of events based on the music of Weinberg this week at the Martin Harris Centre. The Quatuor Danel ensemble were the performers at the heart of this event as musicians in residence at the University of Manchester since 2005.

The Friday evening concert saw three of Weinberg’s string quartets performed – the 7th, 8th and 9th – which were all composed within a few years of each other. Each quartet had a very distinct character and warranted different approaches to interpretation.

The first quartet performed – No. 7 in C major – had a clear element of folk music, reflecting Weinberg’s Jewish heritage. Wandering melodies based on Klezmer modes and frequent use of drones and quartal and quintal harmonies were evident. At times the drones indeed sounded like an accordion. An effect I am sure was intended. There was a melancholy air to this music – Weinberg’s father was a well-known composer and conductor of the Yiddish Theatre in Warsaw. Weinberg grew up surrounded by this music.

The second piece of the night – the 8th quartet, also in C – had a much more melodic shape, perhaps one of the reasons why it is his best known quartet. This piece had moments of pathos and was a true expression of the human condition. Weinberg suffered a lot – he lost a sister and his parents to the holocaust and then, in soviet Russia, he was under observation by the secret police for several years before being arrested. Although, unlike his compatriot Shostakovich, he did not delve into political statements or exploit his suffering through his art, an emotional impact is always present. This is a wistful, introspective piece.

The third quartet – his 9th, in F sharp minor, has a different energy with a driving opening leading in to an almost chaotic first movement with a dense polyphonic texture, much repetition and moving through the structure at an alarming pace. This piece really shows off Weinberg’s knowledge of string instruments and displays, very quickly, a wide range of instrumental techniques in bowing and articulation.

The performance by Quatuor Danel was more than flawless - it was perfect to extreme detail. The instruments seemed to be tuned with such precision that you could feel the resonance between the parts. In this regard, the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall at the Martin Harris Centre has a fantastic acoustic that was perfect for this level of musicianship. The rhythmic complexity and exploration of the instrument technique were mastered to present a deeply meaningful performance. The music of Weinberg is a combination of neo-classical and modernist styles which can be quite intense – in a way the style itself is a commentary on Russian and European history at this time.

The ensemble members clearly know each other very well. It was interesting to see the leader, Marc Danel perform with great physicality - sometimes with a leg or other in the air - whilst the other musicians were perfectly poised. Danel seemed authentic in his physical expression and was not a distraction, although I must say that there was a distracting breathing that was heard throughout the entire performance. This can be heard also on some of their recordings.

Danel addressed the audience after the final quartet and introduced an encore piece. It was very difficult to understand what he said, English not being his first language, but I believe that he said that they had intended to perform an abandoned movement from one of the evening’s performances as an encore, but instead played two pieces that were only discovered recently, dated 1950. This was to be a UK premiere of these pieces. They were quite distinct in character from the quartets – much more melodic, displaying Weinberg’s neo-classical style much more than his modernist style. It was very well received and indeed was a pleasant and complimentary change from the intense music we had heard before.

Reviewer - Aaron Loughrey
on - 25/1/19

Comment from Matthew Dougall...

I went along to the afternoon free concerts today again at The Martin Harris Centre and listened to this wonderful band of 4 excellent musicians play the first 6 quartets of Weinberg. It had been my intention to cover the evening concert too and review all together, however I had to cover another show and knew that Mr. Loughrey would be a much better reviewer for this type of music than myself. All I can do here is simple say that it was my first time listening to / watching The Quatuor Danel, and I have previously no knowledge of the composer Weinberg either, and so I echo Mr Loughrey's thoughts here entirely. I too was wowed by the musicianship and precision of playing, and yet I too, heard the breathing, thinking nothing of it and wouldn't have commented on it but for it being brought up previously. However, superb and highly enjoyable.