There was so much Haydn at the 11th Banff International String Quartet Competition today that the composer himself showed up at dinnertime and stayed to take in the final round of the day’s concerts.
- 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
“The people at Eszterháza let him out for the day,” explained competition director Barry Shiffman to a nearly full house on Wednesday, a day when all 10 quartets each played a Haydn work.
Although there isn’t any other Haydn on the official Banff competition programme this year, the composer recognized as the father of the string quartet is present in spirit wherever chamber music is performed. Or, as cellist Dennis Brott explained during a morning intermission chat, for a string quartet player Haydn is like brushing your teeth.
To underline the composer’s legacy — and to do it in the same spirit of good humour — Banff competition organizers have built a little stage shell modelled after an Eszerháza palace interior to host impromptu after-hours Haydn jams in the communal pub.
This is very much in the what-the-heck spirit of lightening up classical music that we’ve seen in many cities under the Classical Revolution banner — and in Toronto as the ongoing Sunday-night Classical Socials at Fionn MacCoull’s pub on Adelaide St W.
Last night, the Toronto connection felt even stronger, as Canadian Opera Company principal viola (and Alberta native) Keith Hamm joined the informal readings of Haydn quartets.
The combination of music, conversation and the clinking of cocktail glasses would not have been unfamiliar to the composer himself more than 200 years ago.
For someone who isn’t familiar with Haydn’s work, it may seem excessive to have so much music by one composer floating around the same mountain village, but the sheer breadth of his inventiveness means that no two pieces are completely alike.
Of course, there are all kinds of similarities — the composer’s signature touches — but they are cloaked in different textures and colours.
So what should have been a basis for easy comparison between the 10 quartets today turned unexpectedly difficult. Not only did each ensemble impose their own mix of dynamics, balance, texture and dialogue to the stage, but they brought it in very different pieces of music.
One of the most dramatically charged quartets we heard was the second from Op. 20, that great set recognized by historians as the first modern string quartets. This particular work is so self-consciously emotional that one also hears the first real stirrings of the Romantic imagination in music — and this is in 1772.
The most familiar were the “Sunrise” and “Emperor” quartets from Op. 76, written 25 years later — and representing the culmination of Haydn’s chamber music output.
But the most pressing question of the night — one that the judges had to answer immediately following the last curtain call — was which quartet performed their Haydn piece the best. (Without discussion, each judge was to fill out a form assigning a score to each competitor and hand it in to the organizers, to be tabulated later this week with all the other results.)
Since I revealed my initial preferences from the first competition round last night, I’ll continue with the Haydn round tonight.
Four ensembles really impressed with their golden sound as well as their ability to balance the slow and delicate with the fast and extroverted, and who could bring elegance as well as spontaneity to Haydn’s melodies as well as near-constant musical dialogue.
The Calidore String Quartet, which ended the day with the “Emperor,” was brilliant. Its slow passages were arresting and its four members did some interesting work with inner voices throughout. But I’m putting them in the No. 3 slot because I’m not convinced the quartet really had a full big-picture view of the piece.
Second place in my book went to the Schumann Quartett and it’s textbook-perfect rendition of Op. 77 No.1. Why does textbook-perfect not get first place? Because the music needed a touch more spirit and spontaneity, for my taste. In other words, the Schumanns could use some jamming time at the pub.
My favourite Haydn interpretation of the day came from the Swiss group, the Gémaux Quartett, which combined a wonderful energy with a seductively burnished sound. The slow movement was the most achingly beautiful musical moment of the entire day.
Does this change my overall ranking from last night? No:
3. Schumann Quartett
2. Noga Quartet
1. Calidore String Quartet
But there’s still plenty of competition to go.
Thursday is a quiet day, giving the audience a chance to breathe and the competitors an opportunity for extra practice time.
Friday is Canadian Commission Round day, with performances by all 10 quartets starting at 4 p.m. Eastern — streamed live here.
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
