The programme claims that they are known for their innovative programming, a claim that has indeed been borne out by their offerings, which on this occasion included the one and only Sibelius quartet (Op.56) between one from Haydn (Op.64 No.5, aka Lark) and one from Beethoven (Op.127), with both these last being staples of the repertoire while the Sibelius does not get out very often, with the story being that despite being a quartet it was all about a symphonic sound trying to get out. In any event, after making the switch from Haydn, which took a few bars, the Sibelius was good. But then, after making the second switch to Beethoven, it all seemed a bit crude in recollection. I shall have to give it another go on YouTube.
Being their last concert we also got an encore, a never heard of piece from Puccini, illustrated above and called Crisantemi or, in English, Chrysanthemums. The start of the encore was disturbed by first the first violin having to run upstairs for her music and then the cellist, but whatever the reason, the piece did not work for me at the time. Not right after the Beethoven. While playing a performance by the Enso Quartet this morning from YouTube really did the business - and so I am pleased to have made its acquaintance.
On the first of these concerts I was bothered by the sound, perhaps the accoustics of the Martineau Hall, a bother which vanished for the second concert. On this third occasion the sound was different again. We were sitting in the same place, maybe four or five feet above the quartet, perhaps twenty feet away, with a clear view of all of them - but on this occasion, I had the sense of being in the sound, with the four strands of music coming from all around me - and very effective it was too.
We were also sitting more or less directly in line with the cellist's bow. Which got me pondering in the interval about how much bother they take about whether they play on one of the two edges of the bow or on the flat. And where on the string they play. Near the bridge? Somewhere up the fingerboard or somewhere in between? I remember someone from the Takács String Quartet - who should know - saying something about playing nearer to or further from the bridge according to what they were playing, although I can't now remember which was when. See reference 1.
The Dantes come out again for a festival which they run in and around the Tamar Valley, an area which we do have occasion to visit from time to time. Sadly, these particular dates do not work for us.
PS: the Dantes being part of the Cambridge music scene and some of them being the right sort of age, it is possible that my brother knew them. Unfortunately, we did not find an occasion to find out.
Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/tuition.html.
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