Beethoven: The Years of Maturity, City Hall, Glasgow
Michael Tumelty
Three Stars
HAVING been somewhat reassured by the more-confident playing of the Elias String Quartet on Friday night in their contributions to The Young Beethoven concert in Glasgow’s on-going series, I found myself plunged into doubt and concern about their playing on Saturday in the “Maturity” concert in the Beethoven cycle. Bluntly, I think they might have a problem. They’re good, but occasionally they sound a little uncertain of exactly where they’re going. You can’t do that. It happened at least twice, throughout the Malinconia movement of their opus 18 Quartet, and in their opus 59 Quartet, at the introduction, where, poised on a series of chords, there was not that absolute certainty about what they were going to do next. Everything has to be definite, unanimous, inevitable and purposeful. And leader Sarah Bittloch should control more her tendency to fly off into the stratosphere, her intonation skiting off the surface a bit. They should get the advice of someone they really trust. There are dozens of brilliant young quartets out there; it’s fiercely competitive. They should be ruthlessly alert to themselves. I hope they don’t think this view is dismissive. More music from them in tomorrow’s reviews. Let’s see how they do.
Pianist Llyr Williams, with five stars all the way, completely captured the opus 22 Piano Sonata, with its bigness in feel and scale perfectly balanced with its mercurial touches; while in the most beautiful, long-breathed account of the Pastoral Sonata I’ve heard, that singular Welshman uncovered riches upon riches. I have never witnessed Beethoven so laid-back. More from Williams, too, in tomorrow’s reviews.
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