KEY POINTS:
Next Wednesday, Auckland will host the world-renowned, Takacs Quartet and violist Geraldine Walther is looking forward to her first trip Downunder.
"I might jump ship," she laughs, reflecting on the most recent Fourth of July celebrations which "passed with mixed feelings".
"A lot of people don't approve of what is going on here," she says. "However, if Obama gets in, that will be a step in the right direction."
Walther jumped ship musically three years ago when she gave up her post as principal viola with the San Francisco Symphony to join the Takacs. "When I first heard them, I loved the way they played."
Now in the line-up herself, she finds "they are real quick and that took a little getting used to. They don't mess around in rehearsals. I'd been used to sitting with a pencil in my hand while the conductor's talking to the brass. In the quartet it's just zoom, zoom, zoom".
For all the zooming, she enjoys life in the quartet lane. Cellist Andras Fejer, she says, "has such a rich sound and finds all kinds of imaginative things to do with the bass line. I thought I would miss the colours of the orchestra but I don't. I never feel that we're just two violins, viola and cello."
While she singles out leader Edward Dusinberre for his attention to colour, second violinist Karoly Schranz is the joker of the group. "He's a livewire. If we get too serious Karoly will say something and lighten us up, pricking the balloon with a pin and bringing us all back to reality."
Walther has given American premieres of works by Tippett, Takemitsu and Robin Holloway. "Violists have a real connection with contemporary because composers only woke up to us in the 20th century."
A special thrill on Wednesday will be her involvement in the world premiere of John Psathas' A Cool Wind. "This piece is influenced by the sound of the duduk, an ancient oboe and Psathas is intent on catching its remarkable voice-like quality."
Walther is genuinely surprised that this composer is best known for his more extrovert writing.
"There is nothing of that here. It's very smooth. The strings all go in and out and there are a few louder moments but it's going to sound like a cool wind."
Her description of the quartet sounding like a folk band in its first movement makes it sound like the perfect companion for Psathas, although she is soon singling out its slow movement.
"The score looks so incredibly simple _ there's nothing there. But when we sat down to play, these gorgeous colours and floating sounds created a kind of celestial mood."
The audience will have its musical palate tempted by Haydn whose Rider Quartet is clearly a favourite. "We have played this quite a number of times and it's never the same. I still don't know why, can't figure it out but, hey, that's okay."
Closing the evening is Beethoven's third Rasoumovksy Quartet. "Every time we play Beethoven it takes everybody to a different place. It shows us what we have in common."
Nevertheless, for all the universality, this score has a very personal appeal. "The Fugue in the last movement starts with viola." Responsibilities come with the solo spotlight. "I have to get the tempo right," Walther laughs, "but, if I don't, Karoly can fix it because he comes in right after me."
PERFORMANCE
What: Takacs Quartet, formed in Budapest 1975; based at the University of Colorado, Boulder, since 1983. Awards include Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance for Beethoven: String Quartets, 2003. BBC Music Magazine 2005 Disc of the Year & Chamber Award for Beethoven Late Quartets.
Who: Edward Dusinberre, Karoly Schranz (both violin), Geraldine Walther (viola), Andras Fejer (cello).
Where and when: Auckland Town Hall, Wednesday 8pm.
