By Kevin Wilt
Thursday night, the Hermès Quartet of Paris gave a near-flawless performance at the Eissey Campus Theatre as the debut of the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach’s new Young Concert Artists Series. But despite their precision, which was much appreciated by the intimate crowd, it did not seem like the members of the quartet were having much fun. That seemed to come across in their performance.
The concert opened with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Quartet No. 14 (in G Major, K. 387). From the opening bars, and really throughout the evening, the musicians were in complete agreement on the technical matters of intonation, tempo, dynamics, and phrasing. There was something a little unusual in their core sound of the Mozart, which took a moment to nail down: they often played with little vibrato. This was especially clear in the unison passages of the second movement.
The use of vibrato in string instruments, whether chamber music or in orchestras, is always a bit controversial. Until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the use of vibrato was saved for particular moments. Since then, string players have been taught to use it liberally under most musical circumstances. Many argue, as I would imagine this quartet would, that this music was never conceived of having such vibrato, and therefore, should not have it in a modern performance.
The effect was an interesting one. Where many performances of Mozart lean towards the simple, light, and rhythmic, this one seemed to be a bit richer, and even a little warmer. Paired with an enormous amount of dynamic contrast, this piece had a bit more drama than you might hear from most groups.
The second piece on the program was the Five Movements (Op. 5) of Anton Webern. Unfortunately, the introduction given to this piece set it up for failure before it even began. First violinist Omer Bouchez introduced the work, saying, “It’s very short. Don’t worry,” and went on to describe how, as a younger composer, Webern wrote beautiful melodies, implying that, if you are lucky, you might hear an echo of those in this piece.
Yes, Webern, like his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, is a name audiences are often afraid of, but apologizing only makes it worse. If you are going to apologize for a piece, don’t program it. If you are going to program it, don’t be sorry.
As it turned out, there was nothing to apologize for. This piece seemed to be the most fun of the night. The cool colors, funky rhythms, and interesting textures came together for an enjoyable piece. This, more so than the Mozart or the Schubert that followed, had the most energy and excitement because, unlike the others, it forced the quartet to take some musical risks.
Therein lies the issue at the core of this concert. The musicianship of the Hermès Quartet is impeccable. Their precision, sensitivity, intonation, tone, and ensemble playing are all top-notch. Add to this their youth, and they are remarkably impressive. But, again, it did not seem like they were having any fun. I do not recall a smile on their faces, or any sense that they enjoyed performing together.
Throughout the night, they were almost too polished, too rehearsed, too clean. Even their page turns between movements were delicate, as if they were handling antique parchment with white gloves in a sterile room at the museum, where one would not want to do anything to stir up some dust. It almost seemed as if they were playing to each other, keeping the sound all to themselves, as opposed to sharing this music with the audience.
The concert ended with Franz Schubert’s Quartet No. 14 (in D minor, D. 810, Death and the Maiden), a longer programmatic work. Much like the Mozart, this music was absolutely pristine. What this performance needed was some danger, of which only the Webern had a little. There, they were playing closer to the edge of their limits, which added an energy missing from the other two pieces.
All three works on this program, the Mozart especially, are ripe with exciting material, with the potential for explosive performances. This quartet is already on the road to being one of the top chamber ensembles in the world. If they got just a little dirtier, and had some fun with what they were doing, they would be unstoppable.