The most compelling attributes of the Borodin Quartet are their homogeneity as an ensemble and their pure, gimmick-free playing. Showmanship has no part in their performance or, indeed, in any part of their appearance on stage. There is no victory march to and from the stage, their concert attire does not attempt to compete with any fashion statement, and during their playing they focus on sounds rather than on visual representation of what they might feel about the music.
The most uplifting aspect of this approach is that it sold out the Wigmore Hall, and that it filled it with a deeply appreciative, fully-focusing audience (of whom very few – or none – were musicians). Whether by accident or design, the excellent programme notes did not include more than a few lines about the ensemble: facts were provided, but we were spared the customary long list of glories, whether past and present.
Although perhaps the greatest strength of the Borodin is their admirable ensemble work, I would like to mention their viola player Igor Naidin who delivered some exquisite solos such as the opening section of the second movement of Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 1. In the second movement of Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 8 the take-over from solo viola to solo first violin was so seamless that without a score in hand the change could have gone unnoticed. This kind of unity was remarkable throughout. Another example is the third movement of this quartet: there is a passage, where the first violin plays its theme above a long-held note of the second violin. The two violins here sounded as if one player played both lines which, in turn, sounded like one musical line.
In the fourth movement I could not help marvelling the amazing bow control of the upper string players: they gave rock-solid support with their long sustained notes while cellist Vladimir Balshin delivered admirably his high register solo lines. The Borodin players are sparing with their vibratos and they played the last section of the Largo (final movement) with utmost purity without any vibrato at all. It is rare to hear such beauty in the concert hall. As, indeed, it is rare to hear such rendering of Shostakovich’s quartets.
Schnittke’s String Quartet No. 3 was also superbly performed. Initially I was surprised by the light, almost humorous approach to the beginning of the agitato second movement, but it facilitated the masterly build-up of the full architecture. All four players of the Borodin have superb technical control of their instruments and they had plenty of opportunities to use their mastery in the Schnittke piece as well as in the final work of their programme, that is, in Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge Op. 133. The audience was very appreciative and I, too, was glad to be there.
By Agnes Kory
Photo Credit: Borodin Quartet by Thomas Mueller
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