The 49th consecutive season of the world-famous Portland String Quartet began with their first concert presented at Woodford’s Congregational Church on the first of October. It is remarkable for any group to perform continuously for that length of time.

The quartet includes: violinists Dean Stein and Ronald Lantz; violist Julia Adams and cellist Patrick Owen. (Of the four, Stein and Owen have recently replaced the first violinist and cellist due respectively to death and retirement.)

Perhaps because of their continuous association one must note the following attributes. Technical difficulties present no obstacles to each, attention to dynamics, rhythmic articulation and phrasing seem to be the norm. That these qualities are not the norm in other groups is one thing that tends to set this group apart. Lapses in intonation are so rare that one realizes that they are human after all! Each member pays attention not only to his/her own part but how that part fits into the fabric as a whole. The timbre of their tone is like a matched set of luggage. One can sometimes be hard put to tell whether a particular phrase was performed by Stein or Lantz on the violin, or at other times by Adams or Owen. Their sense of ensemble is such that it is as if one person was playing even though four were playing and playing in four separate and distinct parts.

Chamber music is the most challenging kind of music for the listener because there are no rhythmic color (distractions?)  in the percussion for example or in the case of commercial music, no flashing lights, no singers with or without bodily movements. Attention here needs to be focused on the interplay of four separate but equal entities. This is not always easy.

There are different styles and approaches in different times of different centuries. Bartok is very different from Haydn, and Beethoven is very different from Ravel, with regard to this particular program. The concert began with a quartet by Haydn (1732-1809) composed in 1788,  Haydn was the “Father of the String Quartet (and Symphony).” This is because of the architecture of his music; he brought to those forms to a kind of standardized musical procedure. Sonata Form for the first movement, a slower tempo for the second, usually with variations; a minuet for the third usually in ABA form and usually a sprightly rondo form for the last.

These formal considerations may limit one’s imagination by stating that a house (usually) needs four walls and a roof. What was unusual in this quartet was the slow movement with unusual harmonic changes. Haydn could never be accused a manufacturing his music and this quartet shows that even at his age he was still growing and experimenting. Given the complexity of the works that followed, the performance was such that would have been compelling for any other group.

It was followed by a quartet by a composer not noted for his chamber music, namely Claude Debussy (1863-1918). He composed this quartet in 1893. In many respects this work gave the listener a foretaste of what he did in his later works. The emphasis would not be on form but rather on color. He would take on the approach found in paintings of the time, called Impressionism. In this work, I took note of the superb lyricism of the group especially in the third movement, the accuracy or their harmonics and the sensuousness of their tone.

Wow. It was a beautifully crafted performance.

The sole work after intermission was the sole quartet by Cesar Franck (1822-1890), which he composed in 1890. It is a monumental quartet which calls for virtuoso musicians in each part, which aptly describes what the four musicians of the Portland String Quartet are. This piece presented challenges to each individual and also to the group as a whole. That they met these challenges with musical distinction is simply a recognition of what occurred. This quartet is actually a symphony for string quartet. The interplay of the parts, the full bodied rich sonority in each part and the brilliant performance of this late romantic work was something to behold. As a critic I can only recognize their achievement and offer my congratulations. Other quartets might perform this quartet almost as well but I believe that no group could play it any better.

— Dr. Morton Gold is a composer/conductor, retired educator and an arts reviewer for the Journal Tribune.