CalPerformances presents Takács Quartet with Marc-André Hamelin
2014-10-12
Hertz Hall
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at College Ave, Berkeley, CA
3:00 PM, Sunday, October 12, 2014

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Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 64, No. 3
Debussy: String Quartet in G minor
Franck: Piano Quintet

[3:05 PM lights down]

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): String Quartet No. 50 in B-flat Major, Op. 64, No. 3; Hob.III:67 (1790)

1. [3:06 PM] Vivace asai
2. [3:12 PM] Adagio
3. [3:18 PM] Menuet: Allegretto
4. [3:23 PM] Finale: Allegro con spirito
   [work ends 3:28 PM; back for next work, 3:30 PM]

Claude Debussy (1862-1918): String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893)

1. [3:31 PM] Animé et très décidé
2. [3:37 PM] Assez vif et bien rythmé
3. [3:42 PM] Andantino, doucement expressif
4. [3:50 PM] Très modéré – En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion
   [set ends 3:57 PM, off 3:58 PM]

[4:29 PM lights down, the group walks in as folks are still seating themselves in the audience]

César Franck (1822-1890): Piano Quintet in F minor (1879)

1. [4:31 PM] Molto moderato quasi lento – Allegro
2. [4:43 PM] Lento, con molto sentimento
3. [4:47 PM] Allegro non troppo, ma con fuoco
   [set ends 4:51 PM; applause to 4:53 PM, no encore today, just a second set of bows]

Takács Quartet

• András Fejér: cello;
• Edward Dusinberre: first violin;
• Geraldine Walther: viola;
• Károly Schranz: second violin.

• Marc-André Hamelin: piano.

My favorite from today's program was the refined and elegant Haydn opener. Which isn't to malign the sensuous Debussy or passionate Franck works that concluded the event, only to establish which piece rang my bell today. I was especially impressed with the exceptional timing of the Takács – it seemed to me that their ability to play together as a single, unified being was uncanny – a true delight to witness, and one of the things that draws me back to see them perform again and again.

What with the stuffy heat of the afternoon – mid-80's today in Berkeley today! – Debussy's piece seemed a bit out of place, as my imagination connected it to a late evening soiree. The Takács did an awesome job of conjuring those silky intertwined lines into being this afternoon, but my discomfort with the heat kept me from really appreciating their performance.

To a lesser degree, the same issue arose with the concluding quintet from Franck: MAH and the Takács performed exquisitely, but the passion they conjured in my imagination belonged to sometime other than a sultry autumn afternoon. It was fun watching MAH try and interact with the Takács from his seat at the piano behind their circle, and deciphering his yes/no headshakes to the page turner provided another (admittedly quite minor) bit of amusement.

I'm looking forward to their return visit to Hertz Hall next month!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2014 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2014 event list! ☸ On to the next event!