The KSO Principal Quartet

Small ensembles that come into existence because the members are part of a larger group are inherently at a disadvantage, it seems. Although all may be excellent musicians—although all may be willing participants—that participation almost always appears a little forced. This can manifest itself in many ways, from a slight unease to a palpable tension, or even to a visible hostility on stage. These symptoms almost always foretell bad music making, and isn’t really surprising. Independent ensembles choose themselves—orchestra ensembles do not.

For these reasons, it is all the more remarkable when an orchestra ensemble actually coalesces into a musically viable group. Such was the case in last Sunday’s concert of the KSO’s Principal Quartet—Edward Pulgar and Sean Claire, violins; Kathryn Gawne, viola; and Andy Bryenton, cello. If one uses the definition of a successful quartet as four voices speaking with one mind, then they have arrived beautifully and with distinction. However, this praise comes with a few comments and qualifications.

The concert opened with Giacomo Puccini’s I Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums). This is a lovely and delightful piece of music full of sweet sadness. Puccini apparently thought so too, for he reused some of the melodies in his opera Manon Lescaut. Searching distant memory of a far away place, I am almost certain I have heard this piece played in an orchestral version. This wouldn’t be surprising as the piece is as much of a tone piece for four string sections as it is a string quartet. That isn’t necessarily a negative—it just is what it is.

As far as the other works on the program, the Mozart Quartet in D Major for Strings, K. 499, and the Smetana Quartet No. 1 in E Minor…
while the performance was not without flaws, what was not lacking was the sense of true and dedicated ensemble playing—playing with a restrained energy that lurked just below the musical surface, ready to burst forth into the open, which it did at just the right moments. Technical mistakes can always be corrected by good players. Mismatched personnel, as we have seen in the past, cannot.