One New Year's concert is not the other. So no waltzes by Johann Strauss in the Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth, but indeed a string sextet by an illustrious namesake. It turned out to be the perfect warm-up for two of the most iconic works in the genre and also an ideal opportunity to discover superlatives about the Rolston String Quartet live.
"La version des Rolston est une réussite complète, tant dans les moments mélancoliques ou poétiques que dans les aspects brillants." And how enthusiastic the colleague from Crescendo was about this Canadian quartet's debut recording! That was made in 2019 for the Belgian label Fuga Libera, and in the concert hall of the Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth where the Rolston String Quartet was in residence last season. The young quartet received reinforcement from Masters in residence Miguel da Silva and Gary Hoffman, so that in addition to the popular first string quartet by Tchaikovsky (opus 11), his sextet (opus 70) also found a place on the cd. With the meanwhile lauded result as a consequence …
For the New Year's concert of the birthday Muziekkapel – breeding ground for international young talent that blows out eighty candles this season – the authors of the album returned to the beautiful Studio Haas-Teichen. The prestigious program was mouth-watering, ideal for this festive occasion. In addition to 'Souvenir de Florence' by Tchaikovsky, Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht also appeared on the music stands: a delightfully orchestrated love story that marked an early milestone in his career. As a warm-up for both iconic string sextets, a certain Richard Strauss appeared. This instrumentation lends itself to a performance of the introduction to the opera Capriccio, his masterful final achievement in the genre (1942).
'Konversationsstück für Musik'
As the subtitle of Capriccio immediately makes clear, Strauss' conversation piece is a remarkable exercise in self-reflection. What actually has priority in opera: the music or the text? It is a question that held weight in the late 18th century, and which the German composer claims to have wrestled with throughout his life. But even in his opus 85 he refuses to take sides. The story ends in a tie. With Verklärte Nacht, Arnold Schoenberg, on the other hand, does show his colors. The eponymous poem by Richard Dehmel (1863-1920) is guiding for both the form and content of this late Romantic gem (1899). Poetry as inspiration for the tone poet: it actually sounds very familiar to the ear. The songs of Schubert, Mahler and again Strauss – to name just those three – owe their world fame to it. Yet this kind of programmatic chamber music was a novelty at the end of the 19th century. Yes, Tchaikovsky's string sextet, for example, also has an extramusical reference. But the Tuscan sun was in 1890 no more than a starting point, and shines only in the first two movements. It was ultimately especially Schoenberg's adventurous and thus unfortunately also misunderstood musical language that announced a modernist upheaval at the time.
Of that musical upheaval, very little is to be noticed in the enchanting Capriccio by Strauss. The stylized instrumentation and luxuriant harmonies of this three-part overture are emblematic of our 20th-century 'classic'. Before the intermission, the youth performed the first viola and cello part. The generation gap was incidentally expressed in an amusing way by the score during the concert: tablets that showed all voices for the quartet, only their own sheets for the two older hands in the trade. But while playing, the sextet was fortunately on the same wavelength. The balance was good from the start, first violin Luri Lee phrased tastefully and the whole soon bathed in a warm, lyrical glow. Equally transparent, but at the same time considerably more intense, was the exciting middle section. Hoffman provided the solid foundation, on which the main players neatly exchanged bowed solos and witty dialogues with each other. The tender opening motif reappears in different registers. Nostalgia determines the essence of this work. Until that too elegantly faded away.
"Simply irresistible"
For 'Souvenir de Florence' by Tchaikovsky, expectations were of course high. Could the ensemble deliver live what they had apparently realized with verve on record? The confidence was in any case great. There was the festive mood typical of this type of concert. A full hall usually brings out the best in musicians. And the composer, who penned this four-movement spätwerk during a stay in Italy, was in a cheerful mood. Plenty of reasons, then, to really go for it. Under both firm and powerful leadership of the concertmaster, the Allegro con spirito was performed with great feeling. From the passionate first theme to the lightning-fast finale, there was very alert bowing. Attention and ear were also given to the dynamic leaps prescribed by the music. Everyone who has ever visited Florence will attest to it: despite the many tourists, the capital of the Renaissance continues to amaze. Just like the second movement of this sextet. If the choral-like, unanimous start of the Adagio cantabile e con moto is already striking, what then to feel when the powerful homophonic statement that follows overwhelms the audience several times … Amazement? Perhaps awe? Undoubtedly emotion. In short, what happens when the woman of your life suddenly appears. Or when on an evening like this you can listen to such harmonious and expressive interplay.
In the last two parts of his Florentine string sextet, Tchaikovsky's occasionally saccharine memory takes on a strikingly different, much more folk character. The mysterious Allegretto moderato couples ominous timbres with occasionally spirited rhythmics. On the ground floor, they knew how to handle it. The ensemble playing now gradually loosened up completely. The cabaret-like trio provided cheerful and brisk contrast. The line with cheap effect-seeking becomes rather thin here, if you ask me. But the sprightly playing pleasure was certainly no less for it, quite the opposite. Just as the infectious energy with which the original theme was picked up again, and which elicited early applause from the audience. The sextet had clearly dosed well, because they stepped up another gear in the good-natured finale. The once sharply accented and then delightfully spun out Allegro vivace was a shot on target. "To us, the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is simply irresistible […]", so describes the Rolston String Quartet its preference for the Russian. And that was conveyed to the audience this evening with much conviction.
Moonlight without rose scent
Love conquers all. That is the hopeful message that speaks from Verklärte Nacht. But it certainly does not come by itself. Some enlightened understanding is necessary … Especially when it turns out that the woman you got to know is pregnant by another man and consumed by remorse: Ich hab mich schwer an mir vergangen// ich glaubte nicht mehr an ein Glück // und hatte doch ein schwer Verlangen // nach Lebensfrucht, nach Mutterglück. In Dehmel's poem, the moon is certainly prominent, yet there is initially little trace of rose scent. The seriousness of the situation is evoked most strikingly in the first half of Schönberg's turbulent composition. So it sounds like someone pouring out their heart. But then there is also comfort and mildness to be heard when the man speaks. The leading roles are assigned to the first violin, viola and cellist. Assertiveness is an asset. It was therefore a blessing that da Silva and Hoffman took on these roles, thus stepping more prominently into the foreground as sparring partners. Alongside delicately articulated duets, this arrangement also produced an extraordinarily colorful sound. For half an hour the tension was skillfully maintained, notwithstanding the breaking points present in the work. The opening of the Sehr breit und langsam and the serene ending were thus moments of pure magic.
Zwei Menschen gehn durch hohe, helle Nacht. One would return home with warm feelings for less. All stars on this magnificent evening in Waterloo were favorable. A harbinger of a new year filled with many such musical memories? In any case: bonne année en musique!
- WHAT: New Year's concert within the framework of the 5th MuCH music season 2019-2020, featuring string sextets by Richard Strauss (1864-1949), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951)
- WHO: Rolston String Quartet [Luri Lee and Emily Kruspe (violin), Hezekiah Leung (viola) and Jonathan Lo (cello)], Miguel da Silva (viola), Gary Hoffman (cello)
- WHERE: Studio Haas-Teichen, Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth, Waterloo
- WHEN: Tuesday, January 14, 2020
- PHOTOS: © Bo Huang Photography | François Sechet | William Beaucardet
- ORGANIZATION: Muziekkapel Koningin Elisabeth
