Ever since the Dover Quartet made its debut as a protégé artists at Chamber Music Northwest in 2013, the ensemble has been on a tremendous trajectory, sweeping all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, garnering two Grammy nominations, and earning the acclaim of BBC Music Magazine as of one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years. Holy smoking horse hair! So it was high time for the Dover Quartet to return to Portland under the aegis of CMNW, and the ensemble responded with a superb concert before a sold out crowd at The Old Church (November 23).
As a top-tier ensemble, the Dover Quartet might have been thrown off a tad because one of its violinists, Joel Link, was unavailable for the concert. According to the program notes, Link could not “perform due to unforeseen circumstances.” In place of the missing Link, Jonathan Ong, first violinist of the Verona Quartet and a 2018 CMNW protégé artist, stepped in and played each piece on the program like a man possessed. Possessed of perfection, that is. His playing complemented his Dover colleagues (violinist Bryan Lee, violist Julianne Lee, and cellist Camden Shaw) perfectly.
The concert program launched with a stunning new piece, Abokkoli’ Taloawa’ (Woodland Songs) by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, a Chickasaw composer, whose works have been performed by prominent orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Commissioned for the Dover Quartet by CMNW and a consortium of music presenters, Abokkoli’ Taloawa’ received its Pacific Northwest premiere before very attentive audience that filled every available seat in the hall.
Divided into distinct movements, Abokkoli’ Taloawa’ portrayed five woodland animals that are associated with various clans from the Chickasaw Nation. The piece got off to a blitzing start with “Fani’” (Squirrel) in which the fingers of each instrumentalist raced at breakneck speed – broken up by brief, astoundingly precise pauses. In “Bakbak” (Woodpecker), Ong’s violin soared at times over a constant underlayment of pizzicatos from his colleagues. “Issi’” (Deer) slowed down the pace with the second violin, viola, and cello taking over the melodic lead. Undulating sounds and lots of dynamic contrasts conveyed the vigor of “Nanni’” (Fish). The final number, “Shawi’” (Racoon) featured aggressive plucking and a propulsive drive that was dotted with unified accented notes and a thrilling crescendo in the finale. Overall, the Dover Quartet delivered Tate’s technically demanding piece with an incisive intensity that was breathtakingly virtuosic and gorgeous.
Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 4 in E Minor (Op. 44, No. 2), written in 1837 when he had just gotten married, received an exquisite performance from the Dovers. The first movement had a restless and searching quality with Ong maintaining a cantabile style. The quick pace of the second movement sparkled and created space for Lee’s viola to express aria-like phrases. During the third movement, Shaw’s cello evoked a soulfulness when it delved into its lower register. The pace picked up in the final movement (Presto agitato), and the ensemble drove to the conclusion with a fun, sunny spirit that elevated the audience to respond with a thunderous standing ovation.
After intermission, the Dover Quartet elicited a wonderful performance of Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major (“American”), one of the most popular string quartets ever written. The musicians found the emotional core of the piece without getting over-rhapsodic or sentimental, and they effectively mined the lovely melodies with excellent dynamic contrast. It was just great from beginning to end. The ecstatic response from the concert goers brought the quartet back to center stage again and again, wrapping up the evening with smiles everywhere.
In his introductory remarks at the beginning of the concert, Shaw mentioned that he grew up in Ashland. He also revealed that the Dover Quartet will make a recording of Tate’s music, including his Rattle Songs, which is an arrangement of tunes that are sung by Ulali, an a cappella group of Native American women. That should become a worthy addition to everyone’s classical music library.
Sponsor
