The programme:
Mozart Quartet no4 k157
Shostakovich 8
Schubert ‘s ‘Death and the Maiden’.
(3 personal quartet favourites of mine which, in a household of professional string players, I learnt as a child, studied as a student with the Amadeus Quartet and performed with various Quartets in Europe).
They began with the beautifully warm & relaxed Mozart Quartet no4 in C major K157. This was elegantly played in the tradition of 20th century style and with the Quartet seated in the cello central formation with the viola on the right. This seating sometimes causes the viola to sound muffled as its F holes face away from the audience, but Irina Morozova has such a big sound and presence that this was not a problem. The viola more than held its own!
The innocence and humour of the young Mozart is so apparent in this music (he was only 16 years old when he wrote it) and the Goldners, after 30 years together, in this their final concert tour, were chameleon-like in their ability to give it it’s wonderful youthful freshness.
The slow movement was played with aching regret and sad lilting longing, their wisdom of age looking backwards with beautiful sensitivity, they played as if they had actually become one organism, ebbing, flowing and breathing together.
The finale was very brisk, the musical joke in the ticking quavers of the opening theme played short & playful. Although the movement travelled along at great speed, it never felt rushed, the whole ensemble breathing the changes of mood, fleeting by like changes in the weather.
The performance of Shostakovich’s Eighth Quartet was absolutely gripping. There are so many devastating emotions on show in this piece and here we had four very special individual artists with a lifetime of experience together to portray them with such drama and depth. Far beyond ordinary Quartet technique, the Goldners seem to have extraordinary telepathy, and as they grappled with Shostakovich’s difficult feelings, their own wisdom & humanity were palpable.
The Presto section was frantic & anxious, the unison might of Stalin’s Russia relentless & tense, never faltering. This was followed by what Dene Olding described so aptly as “the annoying Waltz”, lopsided, menacing and ironic…. and, just when we all felt we had finished being dragged through the emotional wringer, Shostakovich comes up with that amazing quiet, low held note on the first violin, the other three ganging up to hammer BAM,BAM,BAM. Pelting aggression, in rhythmic unison, down bows at the heel, the brave slow pianissimo note held on the violin, undisturbed, emerging from the fortissimo blows like the figure of a small man battered by the Regime.
The fifth & final section of this monumental work had Julian Smiles’ cello weeping up high while the others, with their long lines of sound, quietly wove their bleak spell underneath.
The heart wrenching repeated use of DSCH, (Shostakovich’s own initials), tell us just how personal this music is, and this outstanding performance truly brought us into Shostakovich’s inner world. Glancing around the room, I was not alone in shedding a few tears.
Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’
This is a work which I know backwards, so I was shocked when they chose to start the whole work with a unison up bow! (Backwards indeed!) and starting at the tip of the bow instead of the punchy accented down bow at the nut. This may not mean much to those who are not so familiar with string playing, but the effect on that beginning motif was very different from the usual.
The Goldners (an idea of Dimity’s I believe), chose to interpret the beginning as strong but powerfully melodic, rather than the usual Ratatatat.(i.e. articulated & sometimes quite aggressive)… almost as familiar as Beethoven Fifth’s “da da da Dum” motif, Schubert’s “Baaaaam bapapa Pum” usually begins with a big accent followed by a gap before the three fast notes. This motif comes throughout the first movement & is an important structural element. After my initial surprise, I ended up liking Dimity’s way, though at times I felt it lacked punch compared with what I am used to, but I have no doubt that if I heard it played like this again, (if any other ensemble would dare or execute it this well!) I could easily become accustomed to it.
There were times in this first movement where the Goldners’ stylish control seemed to be on automatic for a moment or two, with some moments, especially bridge passages, a little rushed. But they were always able to save them by pulling the tempo back (mostly thanks to Dimity’s brilliant second violin role) to glide us into the next mood.
This was, as I said, generally a very melodic interpretation of the first movement, the first violin occasionally failed to dominate & sparkle over the top of the ensemble, but that could have been where I was sitting, and that said, the ebb & flow of the piece worked well, and they went on to finish with a wonderfully brisk coda.
The ‘Death and the Maiden’ theme of the second movement was also taken at a fairly fast tempo, though never felt rushed & sounded church organlike in its simplicity, the chordal theme controlled from all four, with perfectly coordinated slow bow speeds and balance in a holy pianissimo.
The Variations were beautifully interpreted, the first violin filigree was a joy to hear, and the cello variation beautifully played, (if sometimes a little underpowered). Dimity Hall’s role as second violin was a masterclass in assists and turning corners and there were times in this movement when Dene Olding’s light & diaphanous ornamentation over the top of the theme sounded freshly improvised. Their ending was exquisite, the Coda floating heavenwards & I definitely heard a collective sigh from the room….
The Scherzo was fast & tripped along very easily, with swing – and none of the bombast often heard here, and the Trio was played as it’s lovely leisurely contrast.
As the Quartet began the finale, (pianissimo, fast, light, and mischievous, with those forte unisons got hold of by the scruff of the neck!), I was transported to my first experience of hearing this piece aged 4 at London’s ‘Queen Elizabeth Hall’, hearing my Godmother play in the great Aeolian String Quartet…. I was so excited I could barely sit still; legs swinging, feet off the ground. I felt just like that again today as the Goldners played like a tightly coiled spring, a well-oiled machine, able to flex, expand & contract as one and absolutely edge-of-the-seat exciting.
Somehow, in the second subject of the movement, amid all the excitement, Dene Olding’s fiendishly difficult first violin antics over the top of the tune seemed effortless, but then, suddenly, like a magic trick, Schubert’s back to the dotted rhythmic stuff sprung tight like a jack in the box, pianissimo running, unison and the dash is on, louder & louder, faster and faster, to the monumental final chords.
What an ovation they received! This was one of those “Were you at THAT concert?” occasions, (the Goldners farewell to KV), and after it was all over (Dvorak encore included) I wondered how many times the great Goldner Quartet had played ‘Death and the Maiden’, and how much, over the decades, their interpretation might have evolved and changed as their lives must have done…
The longevity & skill of this joyful music-making is so rare in the world. With the retirement of the Goldner String Quartet, Australia is losing a national treasure, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their prolonged & important service to music, and the cultural life of Australia.
