Takacs Quartet presents glorious program
The Takacs Quartet play famous Haydn and Brahms pieces with drama and emotion.
by Mark Kanny
At a recent concert, the Takacs Quartet offered fresh proof that the ensemble is one of the glories of the classical-music world.
Founded in 1975 in Budapest, the excellence of its founders soon won the group international standing. Changes in personnel over the past decade have added an English first violinist and American violist, which, far from weakening the group, have made it stronger than ever.
The ensemble's previous appearances in Pittsburgh have included a magnificent traversal of Bela Bartok's Six Quartets. Takacs has also recorded extensively.
Joseph Haydn's String Quartet Op. 74, No. 3, opened the concert at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. This 18th-century composer has been called the father of the string quartet and the symphony, two genres for which he created literally dozens of masterpieces.
The brilliance and warmth of Haydn's music was served perfectly by Takacs. The tempi were unerringly just and led attention naturally to the flow of music ideas. The remarkable slow movement had introspection, drama and color, but, above all, poise, with violinist Edward Dusinberre leading eloquently. The finale, which prompted the nicknames "The Horseman" or "The Rider" for this piece, was full of sharp contrasts.
Johannes Brahms' Third String Quartet was an excellent choice to follow Haydn, full imaginative and unpredictable elements the earlier composer would have loved. Again, the Takacs tempi were completely persuasive. Spikey rhythms and cross rhythms were full of vitality, while other lines swirled and sang with inspiration.
Violist Geraldine Walther made the most of her prominent part in Brahms' third movement. Her strength played an important role throughout the concert because she and second violinist Karolyn Scrams give Takacs unbeatable inner voices. She also partners very closely with the brilliant cellist Andras Fejer.
The Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society audience certainly got its money's worth at a recent concert because it concluded with a third major work, Cesar Franck's Piano Quintet, and one of the world's top pianists, Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
The French pianist, widely known as a virtuoso, showed he is also a great chamber musician. I have never heard better balance between piano and four string instruments, including countless concerts and recordings, than Takacs' recent concert. Thibaudet played with the Steinway grand piano's lid up, yet he never played too loudly and he exerted real power where it's required.
Thibaudet's excellence was much more than success with balance issues. His phrasing and rhythm also were attuned beautifully to his colleagues' emotionally intense nuances. Franck's music could have no more successful advocacy.
