Today, during the opening round of the 11th Banff International String Quartet Competition, I was reminded that great music making enriches the whole concert experience in ways we may not even notice.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
It’s like positive thinking begetting positive results — in reverse.
The quartet that opened the competition played fine, but the performance didn’t ignite. Their required Schubert piece sounded uncertain as well as unfinished. Their 20th century piece was better, but rough-hewn rather than polished.
I complained to myself about the lack of legroom in my row. I wondered if the hall’s acoustics and proportions were suitable for appreciating a string quartet. I wondered a lot of things — none of them as uplifting as walking around the Banff Centre’s indescribably beautiful Rocky Mountain setting (where Mother Nature reminds at every turn that she is boss, not Music, not Man).
But then the second quartet sat down to play after intermission.
The metaphorical clouds suddenly parted. The music was so vivid, so arresting that the hall’s acoustics now seemed ideal. I couldn’t have cared less what sort of seat I was sitting on, and I bounced out into the spruce-scented air looking forward to tonight’s competition concert.
Great musicmaking improves everything around it. It’s the best-kind of mood-altering substance for everyone within earshot.
It made me think of all the great symphonic performances back home at Roy Thomson Hall that have made everyone at least temporarily suspend any quibbles about the venue’s acoustics. It’s not the hall, but the quality of the musicmaking that ultimately matters.
The benefits don’t end there: Great performances also do wonders for atonal music, too.
This second quartet, the Quatuor Cavatine, from France, performed Ainsi la nuit (And So the Night) a complex little suite written in 1976 by the late Henri Dutilleux. The Cavatines shaped the notes with such vigour and purpose that the musical narrative took on a force of its own.
I didn’t care any more about how abstract the music was, because these young performers have made it into something real and compelling.
There are four more concerts to go before the opening round of 10 ensembles has been heard by the end of the night tomorrow, so the Cavatines need to remain a margin note for now, as far as the competition is concerned. But the lesson in the collateral effects of fine musicmaking will remain branded in my perceptions for the rest of the week.
All the Banff International String Quartet Competition performances are streamed live on CBC Music here. You can find all the details about the competition itself here. (For traditional listeners, CBC Radio 2 is carrying some daily highlights on Tempo during the week and will have more substantial excerpts on In Concert on the weekend.)
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
