Badke Quartet, Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, January 15. The lunchtime concerts at the Jubilee Hall are a great antidote to winter glooms, and last Friday's recital by the Badke Quartet particularly so.
Badke Quartet, Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, January 15.
The lunchtime concerts at the Jubilee Hall are a great antidote to winter glooms, and last Friday's recital by the Badke Quartet particularly so. The Badke's fresh and vibrant playing has earned them wide acclaim, but what raises their performances to a higher level is that quality of spontaneity which acts like an electric charge between performer and audience, evident throughout Friday's recital.
It was immediately apparent as they launched into an impassioned account of the first movement of Haydn's Opus 76 No.2. There was a real edge to the sound, even in the difficult acoustic of the Jubilee Hall, phrasing and dynamic made telling with just the right degree of exaggeration.
In contrast, they captured the mood of the gentle andante piu tosto allegretto perfectly,the return back to D major after the minor section beautifully done.
After such vibrant and full bodied playing of the Haydn,the Badke's performance of Ravel's only string quartet came with all the refinement, virtuosity and beauty of sound one coild wish for.They created just the right atmosphere for the first movement, electric pizzicato playing in the scherzo, and perfectly balanced sound in the slow movement Throughout, they were alive to every nuance of this magical score in a performance that displayed qualities of musicianship of the highest order.
Frank Cliff.
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