Chamber Music Northwest presented the Swedish-Norwegian string quartet, Opus13 in a Protégé Spotlight concert, Tuesday, July 16 in the Lincoln Recital Hall. It was a stunning performance, not only because of their youthful vigor but because they sounded truly professional, mature beyond their years. In his introduction to the quartet, Artistic Director Soovin Kim told how he reacted when he first heard them play online: “It took me only half a measure to know that we needed to get them here!”

The program for the one-hour concert was an audience-friendly duo of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465, and Grieg’s String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27. The members of Opus13: violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal, violist Albin Uusijärvi, and cellist Daniel Thorell.

Lively Acoustics

The Recital Hall’s excellent acoustics showcase not only the musicians’ talent but the hall also has the unfortunate ability to transmit the incidental body noises, paper rustling, and chair squeaks generated by the live audience. This audience, however, was so enthralled that there was hardly a squeak or a throat-clear during any of the moments of silence. It was as if everybody sat motionless until the riotous response at the end. 

Mozart’s “Dissonance” Quartet

Opus13’s rendition of Mozart’s C major quartet proved that Mozart need never be boring. There was always something happening. This was clear not only visually, where the players’ eyes and body language showed constant communication with each other, but in the dynamic contrasts between subtle passages and full-throated ones achieved at just the right moment. They effectively demonstrated Mozart’s democratic attitude toward the individual instruments where the voices took their turns answering each other. 

Opus13’s performance of the entire quartet was captivating. The “Dissonant” introduction, so controversial in Mozart’s day, would be considered pretty tame nowadays, but Opus13 gave it the drama it was due. In the Andante cantabile, dramatic moments of silence caused the captivated audience to sit motionless, and during the Menuetto and Trio, the syncopation was accomplished with gentle humor. The Quartet’s playful rendition of the final Allegro, with the voices taking turns humoring and scolding each other, would have made both the composer and his dedicatee (Haydn) smile.

Grieg’s String Quartet No. 1

Edvard Grieg’s only completed string quartet seemed to be a perfect vehicle for Opus13 to express their youthful energy as well as their skill. The cellist announced before they played that it would be full of Norwegian mountains and forests, which seemed to ring true. It was also full of passion and a lovely melody, a theme borrowed from the composer’s own songs, which recurred in various forms in every movement. The galloping first movement sounded truly orchestral, full of double stops in all instruments and particularly rich sounds from the cello. The second and third movements featured dance motifs with the violin and viola playing a little game of imitation. In the lively fourth movement you could hear the heavy peasant feet alternating with lighter steps, amid rapid changes in tempo, dynamic, key, and mode. Toward the end of the Finale the Quartet honored the composer’s requirement for a holding a measure of rest for all instruments (Measure 399 – I actually looked it up) perhaps a bit longer than necessary, and most of the audience broke into applause. After holding up their bows for a few more seconds, the Quartet continued on to the end, and then the audience levitated, clapping and cheering, and called them back several times. 

Nurturing Young Musicians

In addition to their “Young Artist Institute” (read James Bash’s recent feature here), Chamber Music Northwest sponsors a “Protégé Project,” which provides a professional residency for “rising stars”: soloists, ensembles, and composers who are in the early phases of their careers. Protégé artists have included not only the usual string players and pianists but also several others, such as percussionists, harpsichordists, and wind instrumentalists. In addition to Opus13, this summer’s protégés are bassist Nina Bernat, pianist Chloe Mun, and violinist Claire Wells. These musicians have been integrated into this summer’s concert schedule, performing in a variety of compositions, testing their flexibility as well as their musicianship. Some of them will be remaining in Portland for several weeks. 

Founded in 2010, many of the program’s protégés have gone on to impressive careers. Well known alums include the Dover Quartet, cellist Zlatomir Fung, and CMNW’s own Gloria Chien, just to name a few.

On July 23, ArtsWatch interviewed the four members of the Opus13 quartet outside the concert hall at Lincoln Recital Hall, before the Protégé Spotlight concert of their fellow artists, pianist Chloe Mun and violinist Claire Wells. 

Variety

During their four-week stay the members of Opus13 have been playing in a lot of concerts, but they have also spent some refreshing time in nature. Asked if their participation in so many concerts was stressful, they pointed only to the time that they had to rehearse for two concerts at the same time: their own concert on the 16th and the world premiere of the Kyle Rivera piece at the Old Church the next day. Otherwise, they enjoyed their participation, both as individuals and as a quartet, in so many different musical offerings.

2 Norwegians 2 Swedes

The two founding members, violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal are both Norwegian. The two Swedes, violist Albin Uusijärvi and cellist Daniel Thorell joined the group later. When asked about their name, Sonoko replied that Mendelssohn’s Opus 13 was the first string quartet the original group played together, and they liked the name so they just decided to keep it. They liked the fact that the name would work internationally, that people could say in their own language. “We didn’t want a pretentious name like a Latin or Italian name,” Sonoko said, “And Norwegian could be difficult. The number is also special,” she added. “13 is a cool number – it has a charge to it.”

The two Swedish members went to school together from elementary through high school. “But we didn’t hang out because I’m two years older than Daniel,” said Albin, “and when you’re 6 and 8, that’s a very large gap.” But they have known each other for a long time. 

When asked if they all got along, they replied in the affirmative, and whether they told jokes about each other’s countries, Daniel replied, “We do. In Sweden we have jokes about Norwegian people, but they have the same jokes in Norway about Swedes.” So now, as a quartet, they just make Danish jokes.

Being a Protégé Artist

Opus13 members are not part of the “Young Artist” community that CMNW sponsors every year, but it’s a smaller group of “early career,” relatively newly established artists who are invited for several weeks to play as a quartet, but also to play as individuals with other groups, large and small. This way they receive a various and enriching experience. They are mentored by Co-Artistic Director Soovin Kim and they also asked for a lesson with Julianne Lee, violist with the Dover Quartet. They definitely feel nurtured and they enjoy meeting other musicians and expanding their circle within the chamber music community. “Soovin comes to our dress rehearsals, listening to us,” said Sonoko. “Both he and Gloria are really present artistic directors.” Everyone wonders how he and Gloria [Chien, Co-Artistic Director] manage to do it all! 

Selection of Music

To the question about the selection of what they will play, Albin pointed to Sonoko. “She’s the First Violin, so she has the final say.” But he wasn’t serious. “We discuss it and there never are any strong disagreements. We would love to play everything, but we find reasons to choose.” They were all quite adamant about the decision being a communal process. Daniel described the process: “You propose something, you sit down and read it together and you either go ‘anh’ [shoulders shrugged] or you go ‘yeah,’ that’s something we should play.” 

As a group, they were reluctant to identify favorites, although they all liked Mozart. Albin said that Mozart made him happy and the others agreed. Sonoko likes Brahms, Daniel likes anything romantic, and their love of Grieg was obvious in their passionate treatment of his quartet on July 16th. The selection of their pieces is also keyed to what the presenters would like, and not surprisingly, Grieg is often requested. They agree that there are hundreds of great quartets, and they seem to see the repertoire as an embarrassment of riches. As Edvard stated, “We would never be without string quartets that we would want to play.”

The Measure 399 Pause

When asked about the lengthy pause toward the finale of the Grieg quartet and the scattered applause from the audience, at first the group was unsure of exactly where it occurred. But they were all totally fine with the fact that some members of the audience applauded at that point instead of waiting for the end. In fact the group was united in their acceptance of audible appreciation from the audience in the form of applause, laughter, or sighs, even if it’s right in the middle of the performance. They don’t like the attitude put forward by some of the more traditional attendees that you have to “dress up, sit still, be quiet and know just when to clap.” They believe that when people applaud at odd intervals or react in other ways, it is the sign of an involved audience, especially when they come up with “a big bravo at the end,” which definitely did happen in their concert. 

Daniel remarked that the audience members were very expressive. “They have not been shy to come up to us and say they liked it and to talk to us. And that is really nice.”

Effect of Hall Acoustics

The group agreed that the acoustics of the Lincoln recital hall were perfect. They could hear each other well and they felt that they could transmit the music by playing exactly the way they wanted to. When asked about how they adjust to a dry environment with lots of fabric and bodies, they said they have to give it a bit of a push — “not to play harder but to play richer.” Daniel explained: “When the room is very dry and absorbs all the sound, you need to sustain it more, and you have to artificially create the acoustic yourself.” 

Edvard pointed out that bad acoustics can also happen when there’s too much reverberation, like in a church. “That’s the worst!” Sonoko declared. The reverberation causes them to cover each other’s voices, so they have to make things “extra short.” According to Daniel, “Sometimes it sounds a little ugly where you are, but then it sounds nicer outside.” It was obvious that the acoustics of the performance hall are very important to them.

Their Precious Instruments

Sonoko plays a 1736 Stradivarius violin on loan from the Anders Sveaas’ Charitable Fund, which she’s had for a year. Edvard’s is a Storioni violin from 1780, and Albin plays a modern viola by Christophe Landon. Daniel, while he is here, plays a Giuseppi Ornati cello from the David Kerr Violin Shop. He tried to book a seat for his own cello but it didn’t work out. When asked if it was upsetting not to have his cello, Albin answered for him: “I’ve never seen him like this. He was completely beyond himself!” (Laughter) But Daniel, the good sport, responded that it was much easier to travel without his cello, that he just “glided through security.”

Challenges

The personal lives of musicians in a dedicated string quartet can be difficult with all the travel and time spent practicing. When asked if any of them were married, Albin responded, “No. Only to each other.” (More laughter) But they feel that being in a string quartet is harder than being a soloist or an orchestral player. Daniel spoke for the rest when he said, “The main part is that you are four people and you have to sound like one instrument. This means that you need to articulate the same way and the intonation has to be very good. So it’s difficult, and it’s always going to be difficult. But that’s also what makes it fun because there’s always a challenge.”

Albin pointed out that when you’re just playing now and then it’s a hobby, but when you’re a full time chamber musician, it’s serious – it’s your job. But they all acknowledge how fortunate they are because the repertoire is “just amazing.”

The future is bright for Opus13. The members look forward to quartets commissioned for them by Norwegian composers Martin Ødegaard and Rune Rebne. They also host a winter festival, Vinterspill pä in the town of Lillehammer, where they play with guests in trios and sextets and provide a master class to coach young string quartets.