Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Sat, Mar 10 2012, 12:33AM
The Mandelring Quartet are playing here in Tucson, Arizona at the end of March. I am curious. Has anyone heard of them? What I gather from their website is that they got some sort of critical acclaim for their complete Shostakovich string quartets cycle. Has anyone heard it? If so how does it compare to the Emerson Quartet's or other complete cycles? Opinions, please?
Mon, Mar 26 2012, 2:10AM
#2
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Well, I went to the recital. To my surprise, they brought along a Polish marimba player who played two marimba concertos. They sounded stiff on the Mendelssohn, String Quartet, Op.44, no. 1, but sounded much more flexible in the Debussy Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10. During the Debussy, I could not get my mind off the sea. The sea seems to be a recurring theme in Debusssy. At times I had the impression they were sawing wood in the Mendelssohn. Maybe I was struck suddenly by the stranegess of four men in black trying to bring out sound with what amounts to wooden sticks out of these wooden creations. I must have been in a bizarre mood.
Mon, Mar 26 2012, 2:14AM
#3
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
A remark about Tucson audiences. They consist mostly of old people. Have to give them credit though. Some of these people make it to the performance even if they have to use a walker. However, no sooner is the performance over than they rush out to the parking lot and back to their cars. Spoils the standing ovation completely.
Mon, Mar 26 2012, 2:41AM
#4
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Parisboy42,
I gather all US major cities have their own symphony orchestra, and some are world reknown, but does classical music filter down to the smaller towns?
How much access do you have in Tucson? And where were the young people at the concert?
Mon, Mar 26 2012, 8:26AM
#5
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Most major cities have a symphony orchestra as you state and classical music does filter down to the small towns because the orchestras in the cities have what they call outreach programs where they play concerts in the smaller surrounding cities and and educate in the schools about classical music. We have a symphony orchestra (mostly mainstream fare with a commission here and there like Danielpour or Asia) which has a season that runs from October to May, an opera company that stages 5 productions a year (mainly mainstream fare), and a chamber music society which brings in major quartets from around the world and North America. The Emersons, the Takacs, the Tokyo, the Juillard, the Ebene and even the Prazak have all played here. I subscribe to the chamber music only because it brings the highest caliber players to town while the offerings at the symphony have discouraged me so I stopped going. After all, how many times can hear the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto. As for the young people, they can be found mostly at the symphony. Concert-goers take their young families and tickets are more reasonably priced. The young people usually favor the upper balcony at the symphony. However, concert audiences in general in the US as well in Europe are ageing. I fear for classical music in this country if the younger generations don't take over from their predecessors. Unlike Europe, ticket prices are largely unsubsidized so high ticket prices discourage young people from attending. I lived in France for many years and you could always get standing room only tickets. I found the same to be true even at the Vienna Staatsoper. US music organizations are constantly hunting for grants from the corporate world and their audiences.
I will send you links
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
http://tucsonsymphony.org/1213/
Arizona Opera Company
http://www.azopera.com/performances.php?opera=season_2012_2013
Arizona Friends of Chamber Music
The interesting thing about the AFCM is that they have a commissioning program for new music: most recently Lera Auerbach.
http://www.arizonachambermusic.org/
By the way, you mentioned that you lived in the Philippines. A Filipina named Cecile Licad gave a stirring performance of one of the Saint-Saens piano concertos about 3 years ago here. So the talent is out there even where you would least expect it.
Mon, Mar 26 2012, 11:13PM
#6
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
I'm surprised that the Manderlings didn't give you such an impression. Their recordings are quite good. However, they have not yet recorded Mendelssohn or Debussy's Quartets.
You mentioned, Parisboy42, that there were "four men in black". The Manderlings, from their recording are three men and a woman (she plays the second violin). What was the actual composition of the String Quartet?
Parla
Tue, Mar 27 2012, 7:42PM
#7
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
It appears the the female member had just delivered a baby. I don't remember whether it was a boy or a girl. The program mentioned a guest violinist and the marimba player was a young woman.
Sebastian Schmidt, violin
Christoph Schickendanz, violin (guest artist)
Roland Glass, viola
Bernhard Schmidt, Cello
Kataryzna Mycka, Marimba
Hope this satisfies your curiosity.
Tue, Mar 27 2012, 8:25PM
#8
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
I didn't mean the playing was bad. Maybe it was just a bit too straightforward, not necessarily uninspired, but straightforward.
Wed, Mar 28 2012, 12:54AM
#9
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Now, certain things can be justified. The group performed with a different identity. Anyway, I hope they can be reunited in their original form. They sound very impressively on certain composers, Shostakovich included, in their recordings on Audite.
Parla
Wed, Mar 28 2012, 3:40AM
#10
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Yes, definitely, the guest artist hasn't been been playing with them often.
Fri, Mar 30 2012, 1:48AM
#11
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Parisbay,
Regarding the lack of youth at the concerts: doesn't it indicate that although the mechanics of classical music flowing to the smaller towns is in place, the desire to attend isn't.
Perhaps this is allied to your other thread about Eastern European culture. I suspect it is. What the solution is, without compromising quality, I wouldn't know.
.
Fri, Mar 30 2012, 11:54PM
#12
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Maybe, in Tucson, we ought to do something, like they did at the Zurich Tomhalle. Read about in Gramophone even. In Zurich, they hold dance nights after the concerts for young people. I don't know why classical music isn't "hip" with young people. It's funny how the people making the music on stage seem to be young while the audiences seem to be so old, so classical music has some appeal at least for would-be musicians.
Sat, Mar 31 2012, 12:07AM
#13
RE: Chamber Music - Has anyone heard of the Mandelring Quartet?
Because the people who make the music on stage, though young in age, are mature for their art, while the young audience, most of the time, are unprepared, immature and they prefer something easy come easy go in the music.
Education is the solution but it is costly, at all levels. So, we have to grow older and older to really enjoy Classical Music, unless something may change... Possible, although rather unlikely.
Parla
The Manderling Quartet is a wonderful String Quartet. I have almost all their recordings and they sound marvelously well practically everywhere.
Their Shostakovich cycle is a bit uneven, but, at their heights, they are second to none. The Emerson's cycle is quite good, but I prefer the Manderling and the Borodin along with the few ones the Hagen have recorded.
Their Schubert is also very exciting and performed with true commitment and enough brilliance.
Their Schumann's Piano Quartet and Quintet, both in E flat, are superbly performed and the more recent Janacek's String Quartets are magnificently played. Their musicianship is exemplary.
Finally, their Onslow Quartets cycle (on CPO) are worthy discoveries in very authoritative recordings.
Don't miss them!
Parla