The Daily Campus

Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Matt Lin The Quartetto di Venezia, which consists of four members who play two violins, a viola and a cello between the four of them, played an up-close-and-personal show Tuesday evening.

From the shortest of staccato notes to lively main melodies and deep diverging harmonies, Quartetto Di Venezia, translated to the Venetian Quartet, kept the audience last night at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts thoroughly impressed. This Italian string quartet, which was founded more than 20 years ago, has toured the world and has played as special guests for several prominent international figures such as the presidents of Italy and the European Union, and the late Pope John Paul II. This highly respected group, which consists of two violins, a viola and a cello, lived up to their reputation while keeping a more homey atmosphere. By setting up their stage where the first few rows of the audience would normally be, the quartet gave a more up-close-and-personal feeling, placing themselves almost inside the crowd. At this close range, every movement of the violin bow or finger pick of these four virtuosos can be clearly seen and appreciated.

The quartet has a wide repertoire of music, but the night's selection consisted of four pieces from classic Italian composers.

The first was the more traditional "Quartet in D -Major, Op. 64, No.2," "Unfinished" by 18th-century composer Luigi Boccherini. The light-hearted melody balanced the more robust countermelody, which sounded similar to the opening chords of the Imperial March, set the mood and eased the audience into the rest of the performance.

Beyond the technical proficiency of the four musicians, what brought the compositions to life was their visual passion in playing them.

On the second number, "Quartet No. 1 in E-Flat Major" by Luigi Cherubini, the two violinists pressed forward in their chairs when they needed to play louder and showed a gentler expression on their faces as the tone returned to a calming level. This added another dimension to the piece which was well-favored amongst the audience.

Continued...

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