Spring Break
LSQ continues its musical journey
by Alex Pagan
Staff Writer
Arts | 11/11/08
Posted online at 1:24 AM EST on 11/11/08
Upon entering Slosberg Recital Hall last night, the large turnout for the Lydian String Quartet immediately struck me. I had neglected to make a reservation, so I was lucky to get a ticket and even luckier to be seated in the second row. The pieces to be played that evening were quartets written by Beethoven, Mozart and Bright Sheng, as the concert was part of the LSQ's five-year Around the World in a String Quartet program. Saturday night's bill represented only two regions: Central Europe and East Asia. Nevertheless, the ubiquitous sound of violins tuning offstage was exciting, and as the musicians took to the stage and began playing, the excitement was amplified by the perfect synchronism of the playing and the passion of the performers.
Performing that night were violinists David Stepner (MUS) and Danielle Maddon (MUS), violist Mary Ruth Ray (MUS) and cellist Joshua Gordon (MUS).
In the first movement of Beethoven's Quartet in G Major, Daniel Stepner's delicate, high-register violin lines immediately established a sense of elegance and sophistication in the melody. The first movement of the evening was characterized by flourish juxtaposed with precise staccato phrases, with the music frequently culminating in strong, concordant major harmonies. This contrast of rhythmic fragmentation and full-bodied harmony was the first example of sharp compositional contrast of the evening, a theme that would be continued throughout the performance.
The next movement, the Adagio, slowed the tempo from allegro to an almost languid pace. The movement began with a delicacy completely different from that of the first movement; rather than having nimble lines, the Adagio embodied a sense of mournfulness in its flowing chord changes. This, of course, was disrupted by a return to the rhythmic entropy of the first movement. As it were, Beethoven interwove a brief taste of the third movement into the second, resulting in an unexpected return to a discordant composition. The piece soon resumed the slow, deliberate nature of the first part of the movement, however, complete with fluid violin runs and melodic interplay between the quartet members.
Performing that night were violinists David Stepner (MUS) and Danielle Maddon (MUS), violist Mary Ruth Ray (MUS) and cellist Joshua Gordon (MUS).
In the first movement of Beethoven's Quartet in G Major, Daniel Stepner's delicate, high-register violin lines immediately established a sense of elegance and sophistication in the melody. The first movement of the evening was characterized by flourish juxtaposed with precise staccato phrases, with the music frequently culminating in strong, concordant major harmonies. This contrast of rhythmic fragmentation and full-bodied harmony was the first example of sharp compositional contrast of the evening, a theme that would be continued throughout the performance.
The next movement, the Adagio, slowed the tempo from allegro to an almost languid pace. The movement began with a delicacy completely different from that of the first movement; rather than having nimble lines, the Adagio embodied a sense of mournfulness in its flowing chord changes. This, of course, was disrupted by a return to the rhythmic entropy of the first movement. As it were, Beethoven interwove a brief taste of the third movement into the second, resulting in an unexpected return to a discordant composition. The piece soon resumed the slow, deliberate nature of the first part of the movement, however, complete with fluid violin runs and melodic interplay between the quartet members.
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