Devotchka @ Showbox at the Market
Because Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer, Lawrence Dutton, and David Finckel are the Emerson String Quartet.
For just over two hours last Tuesday the acclaimed foursome plowed through four pieces, three from the last century. Standing, rather than siting, something the group has done since 2002, the quartet channeled their attention to the music on the stands in front of them. For the most part they were emotionless in their gestures, but not in their playing. Only Finckel dared to crack a brief smile. The only visual evidence the four were enjoying playing for the Seattle crowd. The music, however, was large, vigorous, and refined. Exactly what audiences have come to expect from the ensemble.
The Emerson Quartet has been playing together since 1976. In that time, they have distinguished themselves with a forceful, polished uniquely American approach that has thrilled audiences. But they also are reminiscent of an era when musicians put the music ahead of everything else. When these four musicians play, it is easy to forget they are one of the world’s most accomplished ensembles.
On paper the program they brought with them to Meany Hall for Tuesday’s first concert of the International Chamber Music Series was standard, and a potential snooze-fest: Ravel’s String Quartet, Webern’s Six Bagatelles for Quartet, Prokofiev’s String Quartet No.1, and to wrap up the night, Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No.14 “The Death and the Maiden.” A quick look through the group’s other engagements in the coming year show similar solid but typical programs - Beethoven, Haydn, Ravel, Schubert, Shostakovich. But, even chamber music’s greatest hits become extraordinary under the bows of the Emerson Quartet.
Three quarters of the program came from the first half of the 20th Century and each piece was instilled with a unique spirit. Webern’s bagatelles are glossy, simple, and brief. Prokofiev’s quartet is thrusting and scattered. Ravel’s a warm expression of a composer who, although still in conservatory, was becoming comfortable with his own musical language. And, Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” is a thrilling, obsessive rush named for the melody Schubert borrows for the second movement - a theme and variation.
At times critics have taken issue with the group’s polish, their acute sense of ensemble, and their forceful playing. Their Bartok has been described as too clean, Beethoven too rushed. It is the combination of these qualities which can be frustrating for chamber music lovers looking for individual distinction among a limited number of voices, but also enlightening. The later was the case on Tuesday night.
At roughly four minutes, Anton Webern’s Bagatelles were a highlight. Each of the six bagatelles is a study in expressive compactness with little room for error. As the composer said, “listen profoundly…and rapidly.” In this piece, the group’s style served them well. Each bagatelle - forged of harmonics, tremolos, ponticello, and pizzicato - emerged as lustrous gems.
The other highlight - as if it would ever be in doubt - was Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” Quartet. Here, all of the group’s qualities were on prominent display. The racing, persistent triplets in the first movement, the tormented theme and variation second movement, and the galloping scherzo and finale called for the group’s precision, refined temperament, energy and unanimity of purpose.
The Emerson String Quartet’s uniqueness as a group is found in their focus on the ensemble. There awareness of each other is unrivaled. When they recorded Mendelssohn’s youthful Octet, the group didn’t bring in a second quartet to help out. Instead they played the parts themselves, editing it all together in a studio. At times, the violinists were so similar in sound, seeing which violinist was playing was the only way to tell if it was Drucker or Setzer. It is these qualities which make the Emerson Quartet seem like a throw-back act. Other groups and performers find it necessary to generate gimmicks, flash, and an undefined “crossover appeal.” For the Emerson Quartet, the emphasis is on the music - exactly where it should be.