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| Photo by Tom Emerson |
Although its legacy as one of the world’s premiere string quartets will remain firmly intact, the Hagen Quartet didn’t shine as brightly as it could when it recently performed (February 27) at the First Baptist Church. Sponsored by Chamber Music Northwest, that concert was part of a farewell tour that the eminent ensemble is undertaking before it retires at the end of next season.
Based in Salzburg, the Hagen Quartet was founded in 1981 by four siblings and since 1987 has continued with three siblings: violist Lukas Hagen, violist Veronika Hagen, and cellist Clemens Hagen, plus violinist Rainer Schmidt. The ensemble has played in concert halls throughout the world, won prizes, made numerous recordings, including many on the Deutsche Grammophon label, and teach at the Salzburg Mozarteum and the Hochschule für Musik Basel.
On tap for the Hagen Quartet’s performance in Portland, was Haydn’s String Quartet in A Major and his String Quartet No. 4 in E Minor, and Schumann’s String Quartet No. 3 in A Major. Each piece sounded terrific except for a few of the wickedly highest notes that Lukas Hagen didn’t quite play cleanly, causing the tone to be slightly off-balanced. That happened in the first movements of both Haydn numbers, and in the third movement of the Schumann.
That problem didn’t derail the fine interpretations that the ensemble offered, but it did reduce the sheen. The Allegro opening of Haydn’s String Quartet in A Major danced brightly, and in the adagio cantabile Lukas’s violin sang above the hymnlike passages. The Minuet offered playful exchanges that tapered off gently, and the Finale: vivace robustly wrapped up passages that were layered on each other like a delicious cake.
The ensemble elicited a wonderful, mysterious statement at the beginning of the first movement of Haydn’s String Quartet No. 4. The second movement was elegant and restrained with terrifically nuanced phrasing. The beautiful expressions from Clemens Hagen’s cello and the ease in which he caressed each note was a highlight of the third movement. The group excelled with the quicksilver demands of the fourth and brought out its lighthearted humor.
In Schumann’s String Quartet No.3, the Hagen Quartet incisively contrasted the poignant and contemplative sections with the agitated and uptempo ones. The final movement had a delightful, rustic brashness that closed the program with verve.
The audience rewarded the musicians with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. They responded with an encore, Mozart’s Quartet in G major.
Based in Salzburg, the Hagen Quartet was founded in 1981 by four siblings and since 1987 has continued with three siblings: violist Lukas Hagen, violist Veronika Hagen, and cellist Clemens Hagen, plus violinist Rainer Schmidt. The ensemble has played in concert halls throughout the world, won prizes, made numerous recordings, including many on the Deutsche Grammophon label, and teach at the Salzburg Mozarteum and the Hochschule für Musik Basel.
On tap for the Hagen Quartet’s performance in Portland, was Haydn’s String Quartet in A Major and his String Quartet No. 4 in E Minor, and Schumann’s String Quartet No. 3 in A Major. Each piece sounded terrific except for a few of the wickedly highest notes that Lukas Hagen didn’t quite play cleanly, causing the tone to be slightly off-balanced. That happened in the first movements of both Haydn numbers, and in the third movement of the Schumann.
That problem didn’t derail the fine interpretations that the ensemble offered, but it did reduce the sheen. The Allegro opening of Haydn’s String Quartet in A Major danced brightly, and in the adagio cantabile Lukas’s violin sang above the hymnlike passages. The Minuet offered playful exchanges that tapered off gently, and the Finale: vivace robustly wrapped up passages that were layered on each other like a delicious cake.
The ensemble elicited a wonderful, mysterious statement at the beginning of the first movement of Haydn’s String Quartet No. 4. The second movement was elegant and restrained with terrifically nuanced phrasing. The beautiful expressions from Clemens Hagen’s cello and the ease in which he caressed each note was a highlight of the third movement. The group excelled with the quicksilver demands of the fourth and brought out its lighthearted humor.
In Schumann’s String Quartet No.3, the Hagen Quartet incisively contrasted the poignant and contemplative sections with the agitated and uptempo ones. The final movement had a delightful, rustic brashness that closed the program with verve.
The audience rewarded the musicians with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. They responded with an encore, Mozart’s Quartet in G major.
1 comment:
I thought the performance was awful. The first violin sounded out of tune to me throughout and it was such a distraction
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