Shanghai Quartet executes recital with emotive finesse

Minsky Hall looks wonderful. Unfortunately, the University of Maine concert hall does not always sound wonderful. The same clean painted ceilings and pale wooden paneling that make the space so visually appealing can make sounds bounce around in unexpected and sometimes unpleasant ways.

The sounds bouncing around Minsky Monday evening, however, were anything but unpleasant as the accomplished Shanghai Quartet played the room like a fifth instrument. With a program ranging from early Beethoven to adaptations of Chinese folk songs, this ensemble presented itself with precision, sensitivity, passion and grace.

The Shanghai Quartet, comprising brothers Weigang Li, first violin, and violist Honggang Li, as well as second violinist Yi-Wen Jiang and cellist Nicholas Tzavaras, has been appearing in Maine as the final offering of the Silver Anniversary season of the Arcady Summer Music Festival.

With a mission to bring the best classical music to communities in central, northern and Down East Maine, and with an emphasis on chamber and youth programs, Arcady sponsors musical events which are held in a series of smaller venues. While giving listeners a chance to appreciate internationally acclaimed musicians in an intimate setting, these programs also provide an opportunity to showcase the talents of young Maine performers such as 14-year-old pianist Jiyeon Kim, a youth competition winner from Portland. Kim, who has been playing for the relatively short time of three and a half years, opened Monday night’s concert with a remarkably fluid and confident performance of Debussy’s “Gradus ad Parnassum.”

Taking the stage in a loose semicircle, the Shanghai Quartet began its program with a performance of Opus 18, No. 6 in B Major, by Beethoven. This piece, written when the composer was only 29, opens with a cheerful and somewhat familiar allegro movement, in which the quartet quickly established its distinctive lyrical style. Throughout this work and all those that followed, the ensemble demonstrated a conscious and enlightened control of tone and vibrato, and a nearly flawless sense of timing.

The evening’s highlights included a series of three adaptations of Chinese folk songs in which the quartet had a chance to utilize a wide range of musical color and texture, employing percussive effects, plucked strings and harmonics; also Samuel Barber’s adagio from his String Quartet Opus 11, played with heart-wrenching simplicity and transparency; and the rich tone and impeccably passionate playing of cellist Tsavaras. With physical mannerisms resembling 1970s rock star Joe Cocker, Tsavaras created evocative passages and sweetly phrased solos while driving the ensemble like a one-man rhythm section.

While I found the final two pieces, Ravel’s Quartet in F Major and the encore – a Schubert scherzo – to be slightly less emotionally satisfying than those in the first part of the program, they were performed with as much technical flair and finesse as you could ask for, but perhaps a bit of detachment as well.

But all in all, the Shanghai Quartet was smooth and satisfying, polished, professional and a pleasure to experience. These musicians make you glad you were born with ears.

For those of you wishing to give your ears a treat, the Shanghai Quartet will be making a final appearance as part of this series at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church in Bar Harbor. For those 18 years old or younger, admission is free. For other ticket prices and information, or to find out how to get involved with Arcady as a volunteer, go to www.arcady.org or call (207) 288-2141.

Helen York can be reached at heyork@hotmail.com.