The Brentano String Quartet sheds light on esoteric Stravinsky - but Beethoven shines brighter

The Brentano String Quartet incisively delivered an eclectic concert (December 3) in Lincoln Recital Hall that centered on Stravinsky’s music for string quartet. Since Stravinsky wrote just a couple of brief string quartets, the program, sponsored by Chamber Music Northwest, was filled out with pieces that sounded similar to Stravinsky's and pieces that may have influenced him – plus a sprinkling of poetry of Amy Lowell. But despite the Brentano’s passionate playing, Stravinsky’s austere style came across as a dry and intellectual exercise. Fortunately, Beethoven’s String Quartet No 16, which the foursome played outstandingly, rescued the evening.

It probably comes as no surprise that Stravinsky’s ability to push boundaries and put his stamp on whatever he created extended all the way to some of his most obscure music. His dissonant “Concertino for String Quartet,” written in 1920, teeters between furious and relaxed passages that become more disjointed.

This number was sandwiched by two movements from John Cage’s “Quartet in Four Parts” (1950). Employing no vibrato, the Brentanos (violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Nina Lee) created a probing spirit from “Quietly Flowing Along” and explored a medieval-sounding “Quodlibet.”

Stravinsky’s “Three Pieces for String Quartet,” composed in 1914, had an odd, lopsided effect. “Danse” and “Excentrique” featured aggressive phrases with sporadic outbursts. The sorrowful, dirge-like “Cantique” was performed with pristine, carefully placed tones. Three evocative poems by Amy Lowell (played in a recording by Barbara Sukowa) were inspired by the “Three Pieces.” But his “Anthem,” written as a choir piece in 1962, just didn’t resonate without the corresponding text.

The “Three Pieces” may have been influenced by Machaut’s music. The Brentanos performed an arrangement of his “Quant en moy” and the “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s “Quattro pezzi sacri.” (Violinist Mark Steinberg in his program notes mentioned that Stravinsky admired Verdi’s music.) The ensemble also played Shostakovich’s delightfully off kilter “Polka for String Quartet” (1931).

“Three Madrigals” by Carlo Gesualdo, whose music Stravinsky helped to champion by arranging for orchestra, had a lovely serene effect. The first two madrigals were arranged for string quartet by Steinberg and the third by Bruce Adolphe.

The Brentanos closed out the concert with a sterling performance of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 (Opus 135), which he finished about three months before he died. The ensemble conveyed the volatile emotion of the piece. I loved how the sound could swell up in a huge forte and die down – with the sound from all four musicians balanced perfectly. The group also excelled with the tender, pleading sections of the piece. It was a stunningly beautiful way to bring the concert to an end.