Superb string quartet serenades VCU for a night of passion

A flawlessly spellbinding performance by the acclaimed Brentano String Quartet kicked off the Mary Anne Rennolds Chamber Concert Series Saturday evening.

The concert series committee, which includes several VCU music faculty, made a wise decision in bringing in the Brentanos. The quartet demonstrated only a fraction
of the vast musical time period of which they are masters. Gracefully, the group performed works by Franz Josef Haydn (1732- 1809), Bela Bartok (1881-1945) and
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).

Opening the evening was a beautiful interpretation of Haydn’s “String Quartet in D Major, Opus 76, No. 5,” a moving work completed in the latter part of his life that
illustrated his sophisticated style. Though not in typical sonata form and short in terms of techniques like pizzicato and glissandos, this four-movement work was both
whimsical and inspiring. Executed with unparalleled passion, the piece stunned the audience into a raucous applause.

The Brentanos shifted the mood by performing another four-movement work, Bela Bartok’s “String Quartet No. 6.” My personal favorite of the night, this piece was a
shape-shifting ride through time and space. Incorporating traditional folk music from Eastern Europe in typical Bartok fashion, the work constantly changed structure and
mode while thematic material chimed throughout. The Brentanos, not to disappoint, breathed life into every single note and phrase and left me emotionally thrilled.

Following intermission, the group paid tribute to the master of classical music, Beethoven, by performing his “String Quartet in E-fl at Major, Opus 127.” Playful, majestic, enthralling and profound, this piece used its devices to reach inside my soul,
sending me off a happier man than when I arrived.

The Brentanos’ sophistication was evident even in the program notes:

“Stylistic evolution is a major theme in any discussion of Beethoven’s oeuvre, as it is with artists such as T.S. Eliot and Picasso. For a man whose uncanny perception of the
profundities of the human condition shone through his music from the very start, from a larger-than-life soul and intellect, it is deeply meaningful to see how life experience
and philosophical questioning over time comes to be reflected in the art work.”

Mark Steinberg, first violinist of the group, wrote the synopsis for the work. He described Beethoven’s intellect and habits so perfectly that I was left questioning my
own devotion to art and the pursuit of knowledge.

Formed in 1992, the Brentano String Quartet has received a plethora of awards and has performed around the world, from Australia to Europe to Japan. The group was
also the fi rst string quartet to achieve residency status at Princeton University, where it assisted in music department affairs. In addition to Steinberg, the group includes Misha
Amory on viola, Serena Canin on second violin and newest member and mother-to-be, Nina Maria Lee, on cello.