By David Beech
The Rossetti String Quartet, making a welcome return visit to the Mozart Society on April 30, 2010, reveled in the lively acoustic of All Saints’ Church, Carmel, and gave vividly characterized performances of quartets by Haydn, Mozart, and Dvořák. The audience amply compensated for what it lacked in numbers by the enthusiasm with which it applauded all three of the works, and the compelling quality of the playing was such that when I looked around to check on other listeners during the movements, I seemed to be the only one who was not one hundred per cent attending to the music.
This quartet is unusual in that all four players exhibit distinct personalities, and yet achieve well-integrated results thanks to unanimity of musical purpose and expressiveness. Henry Gronnier was a forthright leader throughout, with the most brilliance of tone, and also with a fine range of color, dynamics and articulation. Second violinist Sara Parkins displayed similar qualities when playing with the first violin in well-tuned thirds or in precise staccato and also had a warm tone for low solos or dialogues with the viola. The chosen seating arrangement, with viola next to second violin and cello at the front facing the first violin, seemed to suit the players. Violist Thomas Diener benefited by being able to project important passages without having to swivel towards the audience – often a violist is barely audible except for big solos when he turns as if with a placard saying ‘viola solo’. Instead, Diener plays naturally and with subtlety as though he just has a larger violin. Cellist Eric Gaenslen then achieves gentle balance by facing across the stage and playing flawlessly without undue assertion – although coming out with rapid triplets or plummy pizzicato when needed.
It seemed in advance that the order of the program might present some difficulty, with the first two quartets, the Haydn, Op.20 No.5 and Mozart K.499, having so many similarities – each has a sonata-form first movement without strong contrasts, a short minuet with lively trio, an extended slow movement bearing most of the emotional weight, and a brilliant finale. However, the Rossetti Quartet made a satisfying distinction, mainly (and appropriately for a Mozart Society concert) by showing what Mozart added to what he had learned from Haydn. Rather than the teashop style sometimes adopted for Mozart quartets (and piano sonatas), we heard full-bodied incisive playing, together with gracious legato and lighter touches and hints of sadness, to remind us that Mozart was soon to embark on his late masterpieces for string quintet (with a second viola).
Right from the start of Dvorak’s Op.51 Quartet, we were in another world, with its idiosyncratic Czech decorations and dance rhythms. The delightful first movement sets the stage for the two slow movements to follow – a passionate Dumka, with its alternating slower and faster sections, and then the more flowing legato of the Romanze. The finale has an infectious gaiety, its main rapid melody beginning with a couple of pick-up notes, interleaved with some reflective moments, and even a kind of deconstruction leading to a pause before launching into the reprise, some more exciting arpeggios, and the conclusive E flat chords.
Although the audience could have gone on listening all night to playing like this, they, like the musicians, were content at this stage to settle for the traditional sumptuous refreshments provided by the Mozart Society.
[David Beech, an amateur clarinetist, pianist and clavichordist, is a frequent contributor as a guest reviewer in this column.]
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