Page 90 - The Strad (February 2020)
P. 90
Reviews
Your monthly critical round-up of performances, recordings and publications
CONCERTS
New York
THIS MONTH’S
RECOMMENDED
Alisa Weilerstein showed impressive
RECORDINGS
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Our pick of the
new releases
Ori Epstein
gets serious
with Beethoven
PAGE 95
The Fitzwilliam
Quartet
celebrates with
Shostakovich
PAGE 98
BRENTANO QUARTET introduction to the New York premiere of his String
ZANKEL HALL, CARNEGIE HALL 6 NOVEMBER 2019 Quartet (2019), a piece inspired by the idea of
attention (a lack of it; obsessive, destructive
Mozart’s quirky String Quartet in E at major K428 attention; a meditative focus). e Brentano’s
was brought to life by the Brentano Quartet (below), utter commitment to the piece was impressive
playing with tremendous love, wit and charm. and they gave a compelling performance, drawing
I appreciated the leading from the cello in the the audience into the distracted focus of the rst
The virtuosic Allegro non troppo and the way the quartet created movement which was created by repetitions and
Vadim Gluzman a spacious sense of time. In the Andante con moto, jarring discordant harmonies. e nal movement
in a Russian they took Mozart’s winding, chromatic line and opened with harmonics which gave way to
programme bestowed it with extraordinary grace and lilting, syncopated chords that ran
PAGE 98 elegance, and time seemed to expand beneath a beautifully played cello solo.
and stand still. e following is blossomed into a tender and
movement was imbued with jovial, very moving viola-and-cello duet
almost naive youthfulness in the before the violins took over MAIN PHOTO CHRIS LEE. INSET PHOTO JÜRGEN FRANK
crisp articulation, of left hand as the melody.
well as bow, and the Allegro vivace Ravel’s String Quartet nished
sparkled with poise and playfulness. the programme, and there’s little else
Composer Matthew Aucoin to say except to express tremendous
(b.1990) gave an articulate and helpful praise. e Brentano played with
88 THE STRAD FEBRUARY 2020 www.thestrad.com
