San Francisco Classical Voice

"Remembrance of things past" could very well have been the inspiration for Cal Performances' Borodin Quartet concert Sunday afternoon at Hertz Hall in Berkeley. A program of two quartets, both premiered in 1873 and both second attempts at the string quartet medium by Brahms and Tchaikovsky would appear to be an anachronism in today's music world. Let me hasten to add, however, that this music, so lovingly played, showed what really is at the core of this noble art. Especially in the slow movements, the Borodin Quartet made time stand stIl; one's breath was suspended for fear of breaking the enchantment.

Despite being composed in the same year, the two quartets are quite different. The Brahms is clearly the superior piece, written in a more sophisticated quartet style, dividing the voices more equitably among the players, The Tchaikovsky is more outgoing, calling for less inward thought and more ostentatious display than one usually associates with great string quartet writing. Both quartets suffer from weaker last movements, the Tchaikovsky especially, with an embarrassing workaday fugue, similar to the fugue in the last movement of his Souvenir of Florence. The rare chance to hear the second of Tchaikovsky's three string quartets, and not the one with the familiar "Andante Cantabile" made the performance worth while, given the fact that the Borodins know what is necessary to make the music attractive and compelling for the listener.

The Borodins have an ideal tonal quality, lustrous when unabashedly singing, capable of extraordinary colors and shadings, and a sensitivity to the musical character being played out at the moment. Of course, the members are exceptional players. The new first violinist, Ruben Aharonian, joined the quartet in 1996 and is a splendid performer. The only quibble one might have with Mr. Aharonian is with his tendency to back away when peak dynamic intensity was called for. The opening of the final movement of the Brahms, reminiscent of the three eighth-note pick-up that opens Beethoven's Fifth, calls for impetuosity. Whenever the motif appeared, Aharonian did not invest it with the requisite nervous energy, which caused a slight but important musical lag at crucial points.

The violist, Igor Naidin, is another superb player, proving his mettle in the Brahms, with its wonderful viola lines. Valentin Berlinsky, the original cellist of the Borodin Quartet, is a legend, proving it during the performance time and again, He is an extraordinary player, his melodic lines, in his cello's splendid baritone voice, produced with the wisdom of the ages, His pizzicati were full-throated, his support of the higher instruments nothing short of magical. Violinist Andrei Abramenkov, with the Borodin since 1974, is another reason the Quartet is still at the peak of its performing skills. Long may they play!

(Stuart Canin is the former Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony and of Hollywood film orchestras, and just retired as the Music Director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra)

©1999 Stuart Canin, all rights reserved