Town Hall
Review: Tara Werner
The encore in this concert provided a tantalising taste of Shostakovich, and more's the pity that not more was programmed, given the Emerson Quartet's justified reputation as highly sensitive interpreters of the Russian's astringent music.
But there was still plenty of interest in the other scores, ranging from a late Haydn Quartet to Debussy's innovative and only contribution to the genre.
All were performed with total attention to detail. This was quartet craftsmanship at its very best, with a real sense of ensemble and an equal interchange between the four musicians.
And apart from one exception, pin-point intonation. Given the sheer intensity of the work, Samuel Barber's Adagio requires total concentration, but on this occasion the approach to the climax was marred by some slightly off notes.
This was the only mishap in otherwise flawless performances.
Haydn's String Quartet Opus 76 No 2 started the programme with finesse and discipline. The dramatic opening theme, with its series of fifths, quickly showed the quartet's rapport with the composer, and the canon, with its forward-looking minuet reminiscent of Beethoven, received an ebullient interpretation.
Then Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's String Quartet No 2 was both taut and uncompromising - its clarity of structure and use of motifs stemming from the opening section made obvious.
But the piece de resistance turned out to be Debussy's String Quartet Opus 10, the model for the equally famous Ravel quartet.
This was a carefree yet disciplined interpretation, especially in the scherzo with its extended use of pizzicato.
<i>Performance:</i> Emerson Quartet
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