CSO Quartet Shines in Opening Church Series
Yuriy Becker, violin
THE UNITARIAN CHURCH in Charleston presented this year’s first in what has been a distinguished series of candlelight concerts, this time featuring a string quartet drawn from the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. The quality of music-making for a three-quarters full sanctuary remained on a high plane Thursday evening, October 27.
The quartet comprised violinist Yuriy Bekker, artistic advisor and concert master of CSO, violinist Asakao Kremer, violist Jan-Marie Christy Joyce, principal violist with CSO, and cellist Damian Kremer.
Their collaborative music-making presented the audience with the beautiful String Quartet No. 2 in D Major by Alexander Borodin and Ludwig van Beethoven’s complex String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op.59, No. 3 (“Rasumovsky”). The program choices proved ideal.
cellist Damien Kremer
Those in the audience who recognized the melodies in the Borodin were either very familiar with 1950s Broadway musicals or that era. Robert Wright and George Forrest lifted a number of melodies from this quartet and other of Borodin’s works, turning them into what became popular songs which they used in the smash hit Kismet.
The second movement yielded “Baubles, Bangles, and Beads” and the third movement “And This is My Beloved.” There was a period, particularly after M-G-M made a film of Kismet, when it was difficult to turn on the radio and not hear one or more of these or other Borodin originated tunes.
This CSO Quartet (it does not always consist of the same players) was a perfect ensemble. It struck gold with this music, with a vivid, insightful, and exciting performance. The heavenly melodies flowed like honey.
Jan-Marie Christy Joyce, viola
The Unitarian Church in Charleston has particularly fine acoustics for music. When the CSO Quartet launched into the third “Rasumovsky” quartet by Beethoven, the music suddenly took off on another plane, fuller sounding and more vibrant in the church. This was no doubt due to Beethoven’s instrumentation.
This quartet was one of three commissioned by a Count Rasumovsky who wanted some Russian folk music blended into Beethoven’s scores. However, Beethoven only added the Russian melodies in the first two, not the third. This third quartet is large scale and revolutionary for its time. It was written by Beethoven around the time he wrote his Fourth Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, and Triple Concerto.
The CSO Quartet delivered a polished reading, although I would have preferred the fourth movement tempo (an Allegro molto) faster. The audience gave a well deserved standing ovation.
Following the concert there was a reception and exhibition of the work of local artist Nancy Davidson.
Learn more about CSO events at www.charlestonsymphony.com/Events
