Musica Viva

Melbourne
Tuesday 16 February 2010

By Peter Kiernan

It was Melbourne at its best: a balmy still night, the Borodin String Quartet and the Melbourne Recital Centre. Of course a champagne for my elegant spouse and then “Hullo Julian, my name’s Peter”. Yes, it was my profession’s hero, Burnside Q.C. and despite my cheek, he was charming. He confided, with wonderment in his eyes, that two days previous he had entertained the Borodins in his home and they had played--- YES,MUSIC !  I floated up the escalator hoping to be convinced that I could love and understand Shostakovich. His No.4 started off with the richest and most demanding chords from all four instruments, sending reverberations throughout the perfect acoustics. This youngish  Shostakovich seduced me with his early sounds. But then he continued twenty years later in 1969 with his No.13 and I was rudely awakened by his angry and brooding statements. I reflected on the effect of Stalin’s death in 1953 and his brutal legacy and though I was deeply disturbed by the desolation of this quartet I tried to place the composer in that context.

A black coffee at interval helped settle me in readiness for my treasured Borodin 2nd. I wondered how many times these four men had played it and queried why each would need to read his score. The answer was immediately clear – the playing was absolute perfection, it was deeply concentrated professionalism at its peak. I always cry on hearing Rachmaninov’s Andante movement of his ‘cello sonata but I melt unashamedly on hearing the Borodin Notturno, so keep well clear. Balshin’s ‘cello announced its first theme and surrendered gently to Aharonian’s first violin whose harmonic entry was ethereal and just perceptible. But I maintained some composure and continued in absolute rapture. The experience was beyond the intellect, as Charles Darwin so described his limited understanding of music. It was not of this world, it was of the spirit.

The applause at the close, after the four had at last slowly lowered their bows from the vertical, was loud, sustained, rapturous and vocal. Even the Borodins appeared astonished and unbelieving. They just do not comprehend the depth of the magic they weave.  

Melbourne
Saturday 20 February 2010

By Alicia White

The Borodin Quartet opened Musica Viva’s 2010 program at the Melbourne Recital Hall.

The first thing that one noticed as they took their places was an atypical seating formation. Violist Igor Naidin, a bear of a man, sat centre back, directly facing the audience. Cellist Ruben Aharonian sat on the right, side on to the audience, facing the two violinists. Vladimir Balshin the first Violinist sat with a ram rod back, violin held high, virtually obscuring second Violinist, Andrei Abramenkov. This layout did not detract from the musicality of the group’s performance. The phrasing, intonation, discipline and crispness of the finishes were exceptional.

The first half included Prokofiev’s ‘Kabardinian’ String Quartet no 2 in F major and Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet no 1 in D major.

Evacuated by the Government to Kabardino-Balkaria in 1941, Prokofiev gleaned local folk melodies which are evident throughout this work. The beautiful Adagio second movement evoked the feeling of a sunny rural market day in a village square - the soaring melody from the first violin resembled birds overhead. The tone was warm and enveloping. 

Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile was the undeniable highlight. One can understand why Tchaikovsky’s diary notes that Leo Tolstoy dissolved into tears. This lilting Ukranian folk song was restrained in delivery and rather faster than other recordings. One wanted them to linger and savour the moment. The warmth of the lower registers of the first violin neared perfection. The third Scherzo and Trio movement was bright and crisp, ending artfully with the cello. The Finale featured simple tunes in unison, broken by stunning lyrical viola solos which were slightly dominated by the violins.

The Brahms String Quartet no 1 in C minor was well executed but inexplicably less engaging than the first half of the program, even though the desolate, contemplative mood of the Romanze was alluring. 

On balance the first half of the concert shone over the second, which included a delicate encore of Brahms’ Andante Cantible from his third and last string quartet. 

Hopefully Musica Viva will bring out the Borodin Quartet for a seventh trip to our shores.

Melbourne
Saturday 20 February 2010

By Lee Palmer

The concert by the Borodin String Quartet on Saturday 20 February was the second given by this world-renowned group in the Melbourne Recital Centre.

The hall did not seem quite as packed as for the first concert, which treated the audience to some mind-blowing Shostakovich as well the signature piece i.e. Borodin by the Borodin. Possibly the hot weather could be blamed.  We felt for the players there on stage in their formal suits, as the air conditioning in the recital hall was not coping well.

Russian music dominated the first half of the Saturday program, with an entertaining account of Prokofiev’s second quartet followed by the familiar Tchaikovsky No. 1.

The copious program notes helped us to relate to the Prokofiev work. If it presented technical problems with the ‘folk’ music aspect, these were not apparent in the playing. The music is typically Prokofievan, sometimes lyrical, sometimes grating as the players gave a good impression of a village band.

It must be difficult not just for the musicians but for the listener to hear this Tchaikovsky quartet with a ‘fresh ear’.  One awaits with dread the TV commercial with the beautiful Andante Cantabile beneath the voiceover for toilet paper!

The music is always melodious and the Quartet’s symphonic sound was heard to its best advantage in this work.

I was less familiar with the Brahms Quartet No. 1 which followed an interval where the audience fled gratefully to the ground floor for refreshment and cooler air. It seemed that the playing was restrained and a little too serious. Mind you, Brahms IS nothing if not serious.

I have not singled out individual artists in this critique. How can you when each is a master of his instrument, though first violinist Ruben Aharonian and cellist Vladimir Balshin produced ravishing sounds in their solo passages. 

The quartet gave a generous encore at the conclusion of each of their recitals, and acknowledged the resounding applause with appropriate Russian seriousness. Brahms would have approved.

Canberra
Thursday 18 February 2010

By Patricia Hobsbawn

Why is it that we like to make the effort to see live music?

There are several answers to this modern day question and the superb performance by the Borodin Quartet on Thursday night at Canberra’s Llewellyn Hall embodied many of the reasons.  On this evening we were treated to a short but intense exposition of Russian culture.

The first half of the program was devoted to two works by the 20th Century Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich, both of which were unfamiliar to me.  First on the program was his String Quartet No. 4 in D major which drew on Jewish folk music for inspiration. The second movement was a beautiful piece. The second violin, viola and cello played a two note accompaniment, creating beautiful gentle chords to underpin the lyrical line of the first violin as it danced over the top. The Jewish influence was most evident in the third movement which had a strong Klezmer feel to it.  And the work finished ever so gently with a long drawn out note from the cello that slowly faded to silence.

The second work was the String Quartet No 13 in B flat major. This was a very intense and dark piece and featured the mournful tones of the viola throughout. The piece started with a viola solo and at various stages though the work viola solos were punctuated by pizzicato moving between the remaining instruments or these instruments playing long strangled chords to create tension.  The piece finished with another slow viola solo and a very crisp flash of a final note from all instruments together.  The intensity of the music was mirrored in the faces of players and it was breathtaking to behold.

The Borodin String Quartet No 2 in D major that comprised the second half of the program was an extremely familiar piece for me.  This was a much lighter work than those of the first half and this was reflected in the more relaxed disposition of the players.  I sat back and rediscovered the piece all over again through the passionate interpretation by the Borodin Quartet. Noting the way the music moved effortlessly between the instruments in a way that can’t be done by listening to a recording.
So why do we bother with live music?  To discover the unfamiliar, to rediscover the familiar, to watch the interplay of the instruments and to see every mood expressed in the faces of those playing each beautiful note.

Perth
Monday 22 February 2010

By Benjamin Pallagi (age 15)

I study the violin with a Russian teacher, and this made me interested in going to a concert by the Borodin String Quartet, which members are all graduates of the prestigious Moscow Conservatoire. I haven’t heard the Borodin Quartet before, and wanted to listen to a prestigious ensemble practicing the same method by which I am taught.

The first piece they performed was Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 4, which was a great way to start the concert with its lovely, lyrical second movement and its faster first, third and fourth movements to provide contrast. This was followed by Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 13, which was a more calming work, with three continuous movements. It starts slowly, has a contrasting second movement, which is twice as fast, and then goes back to the first tempo for the last movement. The third piece they played was Borodin’s String Quartet no. 2. I think this was the most effective of the three works with a spectacular finale to finish off the concert.

The ensemble – as expected - was very well coordinated with accurate articulation and technical control in the fast rhythmic passages, while in the more soft and lyrical slow movements they produced a sweet sound very effectively. The viola player was exceptionally strong when required in solos or in rhythmic passages, while the cello provided a rich and dark sound and a very solid base line. What perhaps could have made the concert a bit more dramatic is, if there would have been just a little more dynamic contrast between the soft and the loud sections in the Shostakovich quartets.

The audience was very attentive to the performance which finished with a very effective finale, and they just clapped and clapped and clapped. The players could have been a bit more emotional at the end with a little smile when they bowed.

I enjoyed this very captivating performance very much and I am looking forward to another concert with the Borodin Quartet in the future.

Sydney
Saturday 27 February 2010

By Dilys Renham

The Borodin Quartet, preceded only by a reputation for excellence that covers 64 years can endow, gave a performance that excited and enthralled the matinee audience.

Works performed came from the main repertoire for string quartets, and from the first note the quartet members displayed their mastery and musicianship.

The jerky motifs of the Prokofiev No.2 in F major first movement were tossed skillfully among the players, who seem to draw their impeccable ensemble playing from the presence and proximity of the other musicians, were sustained by the cello's mellow insistence and the warmth of the viola. The slow movement was marked by strong rhythmic accompaniment to the theme.

In the beautifully conceived Tchaikovsky quartet in D major, the slow movement was moving in its beauty, as the sweetness of the theme, played by the first violin, was always present, weaving around the voices underneath.

In the Brahms No.1 in C minor, the quartet members again showed their virtuosity, rhythmic precision and beauty of sound. The short fourth movement bringing the performance to its close and the audience to loud applause.

We were treated to an encore, again by Brahms, an allegro agitato movement that again held the audience to silent admiration as these masters of string quartet playing technique, who rarely seem to communicate while playing, draw beauty from their instruments, and can still imbue their performances with a marvelous freshness the listener can hold in wonder.

Sydney
Saturday 27 February 2010

By Cristiana Samfirescu

In general I was pleasantly surprised by the qualities of Borodin ensemble like accuracy of interpretation, the confidence and the feelings of comfort and easiness transmitted to the audience.

I was touched in a special way by the interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s String quartet no 1. Both the quality of piece - especially its beautiful melody- along with the proficient interpretation made the D major quartet the highlight of my day.

The first part – moderato e semplice- made me think of a joyful family dance performed mostly by the children and young family members, who easily let themselves be ’raised’ to the skies by dreams of flying. The young dancers (violins and viola) are from time to time gentle, soothed by mature voices (cello). Other times the ‘adults’ forget their serious ‘status’ and let themselves be caught in the joyous dance.

The second part – andante cantabile – filled my heart with beauty and joy. I could imagine a beautiful and fragile fairies’ dance. The fragileness was implied by sounds resembling the movements of shiny diamonds gracefully led by the fairies.

The third part- scherzo and trio- suggested a party at a royal court announced by the cello and ‘showing’ all the court people enjoying the spectacle presided by a generous queen – first violin - which invites her guests to enjoy  the court ceremony by expressing her own contentment.

The fourth part – finale- continues the life at the court ‘showing‘ the queen and her closest councilor – the first violin and viola – in a diplomatic meeting with other palace characters. Some times, between the two parties, gentle contradictions occur, but in most of the cases one of the parties ends up agreeing with the other and even more, supporting the former ‘opponent’ with favorable strong opinions. The quartet finishes in a complete powerful harmony.

I am grateful for the concert attended Saturday which made my weekend special and helped me relax in a beautiful way.