So, I could tell you that the real reason I came to Aspen this summer was for tonight’s concert. Well, that would be a little bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Tonight the Emerson String Quartet performed Janacek’s First string quartet.
I first heard this piece when I worked in the University music lab. Not too many students came in, so I got to do homework and listen to music for a couple of hours each day. We had a few CDs, but most of the music was on record, so I got to flip through LPs, just looking for something to listen to. One day, I put this record on, and I was just blown away. I probably listened to this piece three or four times a week. The only other times I’ve heard this piece performed live was over ten years ago, in Phoenix, so there’s no way I could miss this concert.
The Emerson String Quartet gave a phenomenal performance. Janacek composed the piece after a story by Tolstoy, but I’ve always heard something different in the piece. This is lush, romantic music that always makes me think of a love affair from long ago. The different movements remind me of reading old love letters, standing on a platform waiting for a train to arrive, wrapped up in blankets in the snow. This is seriously epic music.
One intriguing part of their performance is that the violinists and violist stand while performing (of course, the cellist remains seated.) I did a little bit of poking around on the internet to discover why, but I wasn’t able to figure it out… just that they’ve been doing it for a few years. Although it was different, I’ve never seen another quartet standing, it added a nice element to their performance, and gave them a nice freedom of expression and movement.