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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2011 > September > 06 > Entry
Review: Miro Quartet
If the reaction to his fiddle playing is any indication, William Fedkenheuer will have no trouble fitting in to Austin.
After opening their University of Texas concert season with Brahms and Haydn, the Miro Quartet turned to their newly appointed second violinist to lead an encore of the bluegrass standard “Orange Blossom Special.” Nice touch.
Fedkenheuer, as way of introduction, explained that he was once (and still is) a talented fiddler. Then he polished off a tidy version of the bluegrass standard, with the rest of the Miro keeping up quite nicely, complete with a few pitiful “train whistles.”
The crowd clapped along, and gave Fedkenheuer a sweet moment of inauguration. It must have been some relief to the rest of the ensemble as well, after nearly half a year of rotating tryouts in the second chair.
But the serious business of the night was Haydn, Philip Glass and Brahms.
Haydn’s “The Joke,” his “String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33” was pleasant; brisk in the presto, but a little indelicate in the largo as if the quartet were not quite warmed up.
The Glass quartet, “No. 5” eats bow hairs, from the churning cello parts to the little cyclone-like violin riffs. And as audiences discovered when the Miro took it on earlier this summer, the quartet simply has a bead on how to play this work.
The Glass is emotionally exhausting, worth the price of admission on its own.
The Brahms “String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51” was pleasantly bouncy, and features some sections of unusual dream-like diversions. The third movement fell a little flat, though, with overly subdued dynamics.
The length of the work felt stretched there, for a time, only to crash into the whiplash finale of the Allegro.
Fedkenheuer is an animated player and a charismatic speaker. He sought out eye contact from his colleagues, and brought a lovely tone to the Brahms.
One can never reliably gauge a single player in an ensemble except in case of disaster. But, reliable or not, one evening’s performance indicates that Fedkenheuer’s poise and lyricism are a fine addition to the Miro Quartet.
The Miro’s next concerts in Austin include Oct. 1 as part of the “Austin Pictures” show, Oct. 23-24 with Salon Concert and Nov. 17 at UT’s Butler School of Music. See www.miroquartet.com.
Luke Quinton is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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