Highly strung
Belcea Quartet’s triumphant return to Oxford was dominated by 2006’s birthday boys. Featuring quartets by Mozart, Shostakovich as well as Haydn, the Belceas ended the tenth anniversary of the Jacqueline du Pré music building with panache. Quartet founder Corina Belcea- Fisher was the belle of the four and played with crisp expression. Together the group had poise.
Melodies danced across the instruments with spark during the opening piece, Haydn’s String Quartet Op 76, No 4 in B ‘Sunrise’. I was deeply moved by the Adagio where the cellist, Antoine Lederlin, although a recent addition to the quartet, added a sonorous bass that enriched the simple texture of the movement’s chords. Despite the obvious breadth of the Belcea’s dynamic range, there were moments with odd, jerky transitions from soft to loud.
Shostakovich labelled the third movement of his String Quartet No.3 in F, ‘The forces of war unleashed’, and the players lelt loose from their bows a war upon the strings. The disruptive and irregular rhythms were well handled, and if cracks appeared in the players’ smooth veneer the effect was deliberate, and truly scary at points. Shostakovich’s gremlins were brought forth, their shouts of panic and despair duly delivered.
Mozart’s String Quartet No 20 ‘Hoffmeister’ was performed with fluidity and pizzazz. The quartet played like a Louis XVI escritoire, all curves and elegance and fine polish over a sturdy frame. For an encore they offered the Allegretto pizzacato from Bartok’s discordant but fun String Quartet No 4. It took only a minute of vigorous plucking and strumming for a string to fly off the cello, and laughter ensued. The audience waited in good spirits whilst the cellist restrung.
Second time round, the piece was finished and the quartet met with rapturous applause. These Belceas don’t bring an ill wind.
18th May 2006