I’ve always been a fan of the Takacs Quartet, and this was an opportunity to hear them play my all time favorite string quartet (Ravel’s). The rest of the concert featured Julien Labro on the bandoneon, and it was an absolutely delightful occasion for me to hear the bandoneon live for the first time in my life.

The program started with Circles by Bryce Desnner and Meditation #1 by Julien Labro. Both pieces used the combined ensemble of the quartet and bandoneon. After that Labro took the stage solo with Minguito Dino by Dino Saluzzi, Watchet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 645 by JS Bach, and finally Astoracion by Labro. The Takacs took center stage with the Ravel quartet after that. And finally, they ended together again with Clash, by Clarice Assad.

I’ll start with the Bandoneon pieces. I’m only familiar with the bandoneon through Astor Piazzolla and his many tango songs. And I’d never seen someone play the bandoneon in person before (or really, even on video). The instrument is smaller than I imagined (it also seems smaller than an accordion). I am not qualified whatsoever to evaluate Labro’s bandoneon playing. But I still think he’s a complete genius. The technique was all there, there were some extremely fast and harrowing sections. But what stunned me was the huge variety of sounds, vibrato, and general texture from his playing. There was a lot of percussive elements throughout the program, including one section where he just slapped his fingers on the surface of the bandoneon, and it was somehow both entirely in rhythm and keeping in character with the instrument.

The Ravel was absolutely masterful. It’s my favorite quartet for a reason. It showcases all of Ravel, from his rich instrumentation, to his goregous melodies, to the wildly divergent change of character. This is a warhorse quartet, and I’m sure the Takacs have played it many times, but they still shined.

Topics: MusicMusic:Concerts

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