Enthusiastic Renderings
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

Recently, when discussing the Guarneri, I told the tale of the Budapest Quartet and their methods of assuring freshness in recital. Sensitive to the critical charge that they were “too perfect,” the quartet had a mutually agreed-upon policy that too much practice was a bad thing: In order to keep a work fresh and an individual performance spontaneous, the four consistently left a little something for the actual event.
When the subject was Beethoven, however, there was a sea change. No matter how many times they rehearsed these masterworks, especially the late quartets, there were always discoveries for their highly trained ears, nuances that emerged from the shadows: beauty and power, heartbreak and heroism. Beethoven himself had assured the spontaneity of the concert; the real trick was to keep up, and to communicate music that, increasingly, was written for the deaf man’s own cerebral and emotional enjoyment. In the late works, the individual sonic moment becomes almost a ghostly afterthought in a kaleidoscopic inner world of an excruciatingly lovely and disturbing dumb show.
This weekend I looked forward to a combination of the 15th of these quartets and one of the most sublime of Mozart’s later compositions, as the Vega Quartet – violinists Christine Sohn and Jessica Wu, violist Yinzi Kong, and cellist Guang Wang – performed aboard Bargemusic at the Fulton ferry landing in Brooklyn.
Apparently many others had the same thought on Saturday evening, as the crowd was filled to overflowing – the elfin owner of this unique venue, retired concert violinist Olga Bloom, had to create spots for everyone to sit where one would think none had existed. There is no backstage at the barge; the musicians sit to the side before the concert. This night they sat on the floor of the stage to tune, as every other seat was taken up by patrons.
The Vega is at that awkward stage between student and professional performance. Their aspirations have outdistanced their talents at this point, and that is a good thing. Certainly they exhibited a great deal of potential in this program; reaching as high as the Beethoven Op. 132, however, was a bit of a stretch. It is Everest; they are still conquering the Appalachian Trail.
The reading was a highly energetic one, the errors almost exclusively those of enthusiasm. The sound of the group is not lush, but this is not entirely of their own making. They have yet to be sponsored by some eleemosynary corporation or individual who can arrange for them to perform on better instruments. While they are waiting, though, they also need to work on uniformity of phrasing, entrances and exits, and melodic line. Also – and this is beyond their control – they are simply too young to be able to convey the complex emotions of this Olympian work. This is old man’s music, passionate but reflective.
When clarinetist Ethan Sloane joined the group for the Mozart Quintet, he was lucky to find a seat on the stage. His maturity immediately settled his colleagues, producing a much more even lyrical flow. He proved to be a pococurante, however, treating the sublime phrases as quotidian and ultimately uninteresting. With just a bit more effort, his smooth performance could have been illuminating; as it was, it was gingerly, more concerned not to make a mistake than to create moving music.
The quartet itself did improve in this piece, reflecting perhaps more rehearsal time or depth of experience. There was still unevenness in individual phrases, dotted notes followed by staccato not paced the same way twice. A certain disparity of tone also was distracting.
It appears that the group has yet to discuss in depth their approach to the classical line: They were each invested in their own individual ideas. These four have still not gelled as a unit, a togetherness that they need to achieve at the next level. But their playing is crisp and their dedication obvious. Let’s make a note to check back with them in about five years.
What was most pleasant this night was the barge experience itself. Where else would the entire hall begin to rock at just the right moment at the commencement of Beethoven’s Molto adagio, filling all present with a sense of the comfort of the cradle? In what other space would the interruption of the proceedings while a violinist searched her case for her mute be taken so indulgently?
Perhaps the most successful aspect of the Vega’s reading of the Mozart was its sense of gemutlichkeit, a fellow-feeling nurtured by the surroundings of the former living room of our hostess and the palpable sense of optimism that permeates this magical place. Ms. Bloom and artistic director Mark Peskanov have made a conscious decision to open the barge to aspiring artists. At the end of the day, sharing this joy of the process with each of us may be the finest and certainly the most important musical experience in the five boroughs.