World-renowned Takács Quartet plays afternoon show at Vilar 

As the Takács Quartet enters its 49^th season, it continues its innovative approach to presenting classical music through classical works, as well as new ones. 

“Great art has a spirit of adventure. We are always on the lookout for music that embraces experimentation, that encourages players and audiences alike to think freshly about the concert experience,” said violinist Edward Dusinberre. 

Sunday afternoon, the quartet performs Haydn’s String Quartet No. 63 in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4 “Sunrise,” Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s “Flow” and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2. 

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One of the quartet’s 2023-24 season features includes “Flow,” a new work Ngwenyama wrote for Takács as a meditation on climate change. It encompasses a theme of connection between humans and nature as it reflects upon the beginning of the universe. 

“It’s been a thrill to write about the natural world for the Takács Quartet, as there is so much inspiration there,” Ngwenyama said. “I researched for over a year, reading articles from the celestial to the subatomic to discover one immutable impulse unifying them all: Flow from the initial energy outburst of our universe. The quartet’s journey, through sound and breath, embraces that inescapable force settling into space and form.” 

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The composition pushes the violinists and violaist to play the short, taut strings near the tailpiece of the instruments, while the cellist must reach down to the base of the cello. Though the piece stretched the musicians — for instance, it was the first time cellist András Fejér had played at the base of his instrument and couldn’t see what he was doing —  they all were intrigued and eager to perform the piece. Afterall, as violinist Harumi Rhodes pointed out in an NPR interview, “throughout time, composers are often at their most experimental when it comes to writing for string quartets.” 

“We were drawn to Thula’s work for a number of reasons. Her music speaks to one immediately and, yet, with repeated listening keeps offering new perspectives,” Dusinberre said. “It is wonderful to play a piece written by an accomplished violist. Thula knows how to tease many different colors and textures from our instruments. The range of her interests — scientific, religious and philosophical to name just three — leads to music that invites one in to engage on many levels. Thula’s exploration of the natural world through the medium of a string quartet has an openness, a spirit of eagerness and delight. To us, it seems to encourage the idea that as human beings, we could strive for better relationships with each other and with the world that we inhabit.” 

The quartet also chose Haydn’s “Sunrise” because it’s full of surprises. 

“Haydn conveys so many contrasting emotions from the wondrous, exploratory opening to music of great drama, intensity, humor and joyfulness,” Dusinberre said. 

And then, there’s Beethoven’s piece. 

“From its dramatic opening chords and the shocked silence that follows, this piece plunges us into a world of emotional extremes,” Dusinberre said. “We love the breathless energy of the first movement, the ethereal wanderings of the adagio, a third movement that oscillates between melancholy and high spirits, and a finale where Beethoven’s capacity for rambunctious humor stretches us to our limits, both physically and mentally.”