Feldman Season Opens on a High Note

By LEE TEPLY

By Lee Teply

Correspondent

NORFOLK

THE FELDMAN Chamber Music Society opened its season Monday by bringing back the Daedalus Quartet, which first played here in early 2005. Heard at the Chrysler Museum of Art, it is among the best of the national and international ensembles that the Feldman has brought in recently.

Without even a hint of technical insecurity to hold it back, the quartet delved into every aspect of the music, bringing out the smallest details, even if they were hidden in the texture. But the ultimate goal was to put these details together, keeping a perfect balance between the instruments to build a powerful musical and emotional experience.

Formed only eight years ago, the Daedalus is still quite young by string quartet standards. Its members are Min-Young Kim, violin; Kyu- Young Kim, violin; Jessica Thompson, viola; and Raman Ramakrishnan, cello. They are unusually well matched – in tone color, in dynamic range and in temperament.

The program opener, an early Haydn quartet from 1772, was much more than a warm-up exercise. Staying within the boundaries of Classical period style, the musicians made the most of the four movements, playing with the timing of the composer’s characteristic surprises.

Although Haydn is not considered the deepest of composers, the rather long slow movement of this quartet has a genuine inner beauty. The changes the Daedalus made in the repeat of the exposition – something few quartets do -were fascinating, with a softer approach that captured every ear.

One might guess that the Leos Janacek String Quartet No. 2, composed in 1927-28, would have the same kind of introspective mood, given its subtitle – “Intimate Letters.” A musical expression of the love he confessed in more than 700 letters to a woman who was not his wife, the piece instead explodes with unrepressed emotion.

The Daedalus widened its dynamic range to the extremes, increasing power with its amazing precision. Less traditional sonorities had their effect, which could be unsettling. Solo passages from all four players were particularly personal. The piece is certainly troubling, which this superb performance did not attempt to hide.

Back in the early 19th century, Felix Mendelssohn was experiencing a less conflicted love when he wrote his Op. 13 String Quartet at the age of 18. Still, there was plenty for the listener’s heart to feel, even as there was some sophisticated technical detail for the mind to consider.

The fugal writing of the second movement was not just correct; it also had emotional impact on the structure of the whole work. The contrast of the third movement’s combination of simple melody and light scherzo cleared the air before the finale.

With its drama framed by recitativelike solos, it built to a strong climax before fading in peaceful resolution. The audience could only react to such a fine performance with a well-deserved standing ovation.

Lee Teply, lteply@odu.edu

CONCERT REVIEW

The Daedalus Quartet performed Monday evening at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. in concert

The Daedalus Quartet performed Monday evening at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk.

Originally published by BY LEE TEPLY.

(c) 2008 Virginian – Pilot. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.