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Haydn, Bartók, Schubert: Takács Quartet, with Peter Wyrick, cello. Presented by Cal Performances, Hertz Hall, University of California at Berkeley, 8.3.2009 (HS)


On a program that included Haydn’s iconic late Quartet Opus 77 Number 1 and Schubert’s monumental Quintet in C Major with the extra cello, leave it to the Takács to top them both with a mesmerizing performance of Bartók’s compact, thorny and intricate Quartet No. 3. Not that there was anything less than satisfying about the Haydn and Schubert in the Sunday afternoon concert before a sold-out audience at the University of California at Berkeley’s Hertz Hall. But no one seems to be able to play Bartók with quite the ease and confidence of this quartet, long based at the University of Colorado.

Make no mistake, this quartet is some of Bartók’s most challenging music, with its tightly written counterpoint, wisps of fragments of melodies intertwining in introverted dissonances. That this group handled every potential roadblock with aplomb was one thing, but what emerged Sunday went well beyond mere execution into the realm of otherworldly music making. By making it seem so easy, the audience could forget how difficult the music can be, both for the musicians and the listeners, and simply go along for a ride.

The seemingly effortless playing revealed the Hungarian folk-like heart of the piece, woven by the composer into a 20th-century version canons and fugues. These strands pass from one instrument to another, then to various combinations of instruments, in the blink of an eye. Often this music can come off as jerky or studied, but with the Takács it just flowed. In the single-movement format, divided into four sections in which the third and fourth mirror the first and second, this performance simply blurred the lines and transcended the form to create a remarkable interior world.

In this world, wraithlike strands of melody weave through a fog of sound to emerge as a sort of off-kilter folk dance, which then dissolves into another tight little piece of counterpoint. Nothing seems to last more than a few seconds, but in this performance it all wove together into a cohesive mix of color and sound. This was not a performance to take apart for its means of execution, but one to simple grab onto and float along with it.

The Haydn quartet that began the afternoon turned out to be Number 1 of the Haydn’s final Opus 77 pair rather than the Number 2 listed in the program, a contradiction that first violinist Edward Dusinberre noted only after intermission. Referring to the Adagio second movement, he said, “Some of you may have been struck by the leisurely pace of the second movement of the Haydn, especially if you were expecting a Presto as indicated in the program.”

Of course, most of the audience was savvy enough to realize that the jaunty performance they heard of the opening movement was the Op. 77 No. 1. The gorgeous Adagio made a wonderful contrast to it. The Menuetto that follow had a lively lilt, and the finale cruised to a refined finish. All the little surprises that Haydn built in to the music came through clearly as well.

Written shortly after the Ninth Symphony, the Schubert quintet is distinctive for the deep sonorities resulting from the extra cello rather than the usual viola in string quintets. Joining the Takács for the Schubert quintet was Peter Wyrick, associate principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony and a soloist in his own right (who has recorded the Fauré sonatas with pianist Earl Wild).

One striking aspect of this performance was how thoroughly all five musicians adapted their playing to Schubert’s music, just as the quartet fine-tuned its approach perfectly to Haydn’s grace and Bartók’s intricacy in the first half. After that, the expansiveness of Schubert’s music was almost palpable.

Especially rewarding was the long arc of the opening movement, which starts quietly, builds repeatedly to emotional climaxes, and recedes. The big Adagio followed with another arc, the harmonies suspended in rich sound. The zippy Scherzo relaxed into an after-hours revelry, and the finale finished with high spirits and rippling rhythms.

Good as it was, though, in the end the Schubert only reminded us of how much Bartók had to say in a much tighter, more personal, form, and how well these musicians conveyed it.

Harvey Steiman


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