April 30, 2023
Garden Hills Recreation Center
Atlanta, Georgia – USA
Christopher Pulgram & Justin Bruns, violins; Yang-Yoon Kim, viola; Thomas Carpenter, cello.
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: String Quartet No., 22 in B♭ major, K. 589
Frank BRIDGE: Three Idylls for String Quartet
Felix MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80
Mark Gresham | 6 MAY 2023
On this past Sunday’s sunny afternoon, Peachtree String Quartet performed their final season concert at the Garden Hills Recreation Center in Buckhead, featuring music by Mozart, Bridge, and Mendelssohn. PSQ regulars violinist Christopher Pulgram, violist Yang-Yoon Kim, and cellist Thomas Carpenter were joined by violinist Justin Bruns, associate concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, in the absence of PSQ violinist Sissi Yuqing Zhang.
The program opened with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quartet No. 22 in B♭ major, K. 589, the second in a set of three string quartets nicknamed “Prussian,” as they bear a dedication to the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm II, who was also an amateur cellist. No surprise, then, that the cello plays a prominent role in the music.
In the first movement, an elegantly compact sonata form, the cello introduced the secondary theme high in its register, above the viola and second violin. Likewise, the lyrical “sotto voce” opening melody of the “Larghetto” second movement was high in the cello’s range until joined by the first violin. The cello continued to figure prominently throughout, creating a sonic balance that is somewhat unique for Mozart’s quartets. After an extended and adventurous minuet and trio, the Quartet ended with a brief but energetic rondo.
Clockwise from left: Christopher Pulgram, Justin Bruns, Yang-Yoon Kin, and Thomas Carpenter performing at Garden Hills Recreation center. (credit: Barry Levine)
Next came Three Idylls for String Quartet, H. 67, composed in 1906 by the English composer Frank Bridge.
The “Adagio molto espressivo” first movement began quietly, somewhat melancholy in a minor mode before picking up a little (“Allegretto moderato e rubato”) and switching from C♯ minor to D♭ major before returning to the original tempo and minor key.
Though still somewhat melancholic, the second Idyll, “Allegretto poco lento,” had a syncopated bluesy character. In contrast, the final movement, “Allegro con moto,” was sunnier than the first two, very modernish for its time, foreshadowing early Gershwin and the like, offering a happy conclusion to the set.
After intermission, the final work on the program was Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Opus 80, was his final composition: an astonishingly beautiful “Adagio” third movement framed by three “Allegro” movements bristling with energy.
The “Allegro vivace assai” first movement was a gripping, if nervous, sonata that accelerated to a “Presto” coda at its end. Unlike his more typically lightweight, agile scherzi, the second movement (“Allegro assai”) continued the intensity of the first, paired with a somewhat enigmatic trio. Much in the manner of Mendelssohn’s signature “songs without words,” the slow third movement intervened with lyrical grace. Then came the finale, persistently restless, surging, offering only a few moments of respite from its intensity.
The piece proved a tour de force for Peachtree String Quartet, ending the concert with a vital blaze of virtuosity. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Peachtree String Quartet: peachtreestringquartet.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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