Last night I was able to attend the second of two concerts by the Pacifica Quartet at Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall. It was a wonderful program (if a bit conservative) that showed what a wonderful young quartet the Pacifica has become. The program began with Mozart’s “Dissonant” Quartet, Kv. 465, from his set of six dedicated to Joseph Haydn. The Pacifica’s excellent ensemble, pure intonation and wide-ranging dynamics were given full show here, and their absolutely hushed, controlled, and beautifully blended pianissimos were what truly set them apart from many other accomplished ensembles. Whereas other quartets might bowl one over with their prodigious sound production, the Pacifica’s four members are each able to get down to the softest of sounds while still projecting to the back of the hall and keeping intonation and balance right on the knife’s edge of perfection.
The Janacek 2nd Quartet “Intimate Letters” followed, with violist Masumi Per Rostad giving insightful and witty remarks about the genesis of the work, complete with demonstrations of the various thematic leit-motifs that recur throughout the work. This work’s performance was the high point of the evening. The Janacek is a difficult work to pull off because it is so sectional – it’s easy to let it disintegrate into its component parts rather than coalesce into a coherent whole. No such danger here. The Pacifica Quartet tackled all the work’s many challenges with ease, and made a persuasive case for it as one of the masterpieces of the string quartet oeuvre. This was truly masterful music-making, and the quartet clearly delighted in this pieces rewards and challenges.
The Beethoven Op. 59 no. 2 comprised the second half of the program. The quartet seemed a shade less confident in these well-trolled yet still treacherous waters. Most successful were the two inner movements. The quartet brought delicacy and feeling to the sprawling set of variations in the second movement, while giving the Theme Russe of the third movement verve and brightness. The outer movements were less well-shaped, with some stridency in the first violin’s upper registers and a less well-conceived approach to the larger forms involved. This quartet might not have been fully “cooked” at the time of this performance, but what went well went very well, and it promises to be a potent part of a full Beethoven cycle in upcoming seasons.
Overall, my impression was that this is a very serious, competent and intelligent quartet. They are all four superb musicians, with Brandon Vamos, the cellist, being the stand out star of the group for me. His energetic, tasteful, and vibrant command of the bass line kept momentum up, and his shadings at the ends of phrases was sometimes the highlight of a movement.
If you have a chance to see the Pacifica Quartet in-person in your community, it is well worth the trip!
In the meantime, you can pick up an excellent recording of the Janacek by this wonderful quartet here. Mendelssohn-o-philes can get their fix here.