Concert review: Mozar, Dvorak brought to life by CSULB String Quartet

By Steve Kauffman
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner

Tuesday, Feb. 10 the University String Quartet performed two pieces in Daniel Recital Hall in a free concert of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonin Dvorak.

The quartet, made up of Janeane Moura, Justina Nadal, Esther Minwary, and Jessica Greenly, is coached by Richard Rintoul and represents Cal State Long Beach at both public and private venues. On the bill at this performance were Mozart's "Dissonance," Quartet in C Major (Op. 10 no.6) and Dvorak's "American," Quartet in F Major (Op. 96).

The Mozart "Dissonance," quartet gets its name from the fact that the piece opens without resolution and gradually finds its way to the key that the piece is written in. The "searching," takes the form of a sad, solemn adagio and the point of arrival comes in the form of a cheerful, lighthearted allegro.

Right from the start the quartet conveyed the dual character of this first movement not just by a change in tempo, but by creating a whole new contrasting mood that set up the emotional range of the rest of the piece. By the end of the first movement it was clear that the quartet was playing as a unified group and had achieved a new level of responsiveness to each other.

The second movement, andante cantabile, played out like an accompanied duet, with one phrase being passed back and forth between the first violin and cello. The violin and cello really sang together in this movement, and the musical conversation between the two instruments conjured up images of a soprano and tenor singing an aria.

In short, the performers brought out the song-like character of the melody in a manner consistent with Mozart's operatic style of composition. One could also sense a degree of connectedness throughout this piece, a feeling that the elements were put together in such a way that the whole was much more than the sum of its parts, and that alone would have been worth the price of admission (if there had been one.)

The real star of the show was the Dvorak "American," Quartet. This four-movement work capitalizes heavily on the Native American and black spiritual sounds that Czech composer Antonin Dvorak was so captivated by during his stay in the United States. This influence was apparent in the opening theme, given a very earthy sound by the viola's register and spirited playing.

The folksy, syncopated phrasing, use of pentatonic melodies, and rhythmic, chant-like textures all give this piece a unique flavor, and its very convincing performance demonstrated the quartet's musical versatility by its contrast to the Mozart. By the end of the piece one felt as if he had been taken on an adventurous journey, or as if a really good story had just finished.

In general the university quartet had an excellent sense of pulse without being rigidly rhythmic, and a good sense of the overall structure of each piece, which gave the listener a satisfying sense of completeness. It was apparent that they knew each other's nuances well enough to bring out the musical details of the pieces they played. They also achieved the most important aspect of any good performance, a sense of personal involvement convincing enough to dissolve the barrier between performer and audience.