Date: Fri 19-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-8

Quick Words:

concert-Shanghai-Quartet-NFoM

Full Text:

(rev Shanghai Quartet / NFoM performance, 4/19/96)

Concert Review-

Quartet Displays Reasons For Such Popularity

(with photos)

By June April

To quote Bard: "If music be the food of life, play on" (and on and on). `Twas

a consummation devoutly wished because the excellence of the performance by

the Shanghai Quartet as the final seasonal concert for the Newtown Friends of

Music last Sunday at Edmond Town Hall was an experience to be joyously

remembered.

Formed in 1983 by two brothers - Weigang and Honggang Li - only Weigang Li has

remained a "constant" as one of the violinists. Originally both brothers

played the violin, but Honggang later elected to play the viola within the

ensemble.

In 1989 cellist James Wilson joined the quartet, and two years ago Yiwen Jiang

took on the second violin position. With the addition of new members, the

Shanghai Quartet's repertoire is renewed and revised, and rehearsed (because

the Shanghai members felt more rehearsed with Beethoven's Quartet in C Major,

No. 3 , they decided to substitute it for Quartet in E minor, Op 59, No 3 ,

which had been printed in the program).

The April 14 program opened with Mozart's Quartet in F Major, K. 590 , played

with sensitivity and verve. The final movement, the "Allegro," was especially

outstanding and beautiful, with the melodic line tossed from one instrument to

another, virtuosity clearly expressed.

The second composition, entitled Poems from Tang , offered one of the more

fascinating musical experiences one can relish. Written last year by Chinese

composer Zhou Long, the piece blends elements of Eastern and Western culture.

The 43-year old composer employs a variety of techniques, including tapping on

the instruments and harmonics on the violins and viola with an Eastern flavor,

almost creating an impressionistic tone poem.

Cellist Wilson explained the character of the four poems Lang "musically

painted." Appropriately, the first segment is entitled "Wang Wei," and one can

hear the moans of the frustrated poet/musician attempting to compose for his

ancient seven-string ch'in, but not finding artistic satisfaction in his

efforts. Success comes when nature's beauty serves as inspiration.

The second "movement" musically depicts the day of "The Old Fisherman" - the

fire in the morning mists, the lapping of the water as he fishes. Musically

recounting his experiences with the bells of Switzerland, Long's harmonic

chords and instrumental combinations capture the ringing and vibrations of

bells, both close and far.

The composer's sense of humor is joyfully expressed in the closing movement, a

scherzo which captures the antics of eight increasingly inebriated Chinese

poets. The music is frenetic and rhapsodic; it captures the sense of

"creativity on the loose."

Closing with the substituted Beethoven Quartet No. 3 , this is one of three

quartets commissioned by Count Rasumovsky in 1805. A fine violinist himself

and an enthusiastic patron of the arts, Rasumovsky was one of the few to

appreciate the level of these Opus 59 compositions. One of Beethoven's

colleagues, upon playing the Quartets , reportedly said to Beethoven, "Surely

you do not consider these works to be music?" To wit the composer supposedly

replied, "Oh, they are not for you, but for a later age."

Richly textured with sonorous melodies and complex harmonies, Quartet No. 3 is

a strikingly clear indication of the later directions of Beethoven's

development. The intelligent interpretation by the Shanghai, and the

outstanding skill of the quartet's playing had the audience applauding wildly

at the close of the fifth movement.

Sunday afternoon's performance made it abundantly clear why the Shanghai

Quartet has been hailed by both the public and the press as one of the

outstanding quartets of its generation.

The Shanghai Quartet's recorded works sell well, and the group averages two

new recordings a year. Current projects include the works of Mozart, then

Brahms. The members just returned from a very successful tour to the Far East,

encompassing Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. The ensemble records on the Delos

International label.

The Newtown Friends of Music first invited the Shanghai Quartet to perform in

Newtown in 1988. That same ear for quality music promises another exciting

season for 1996-97.