Three great pieces by this great string quartet, reputed as among the best in the world. The group started in Hungary (the name is pronounced like “tah catch”) in 1975, and 2 of the original members are still playing: that’s 40 years! The newest member is Geraldine Walther who joined 10 years ago after a 30-year orchestra career. So that is a lot of talent.
As I didn’t know the Dvorak piece, it was a pleasant surprise, especially the 3rd movement. The third piece was Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. There was a question about the lack of vibrato in the opening (which I didn’t notice) which they said made it more primal. The last 2 movements were especially rousing. They say the play this piece a lot and know it very well, and it showed.
They are currently the artist in resident at University of Colorado in Boulder. It started as a 3 year scholarship in 1986, but they loved the area so much they moved there and have stayed ever since.
Cellist Walther teasingly prodded first violinist about a book he has written about the quartet and Beethoven’s quartets: Beethoven for a Later Age. It will be published in a few months, and looks like it will be quite interesting. The concept of working intensely and artistically with the same 4 people for 40 years is very unusual.