The last concert in the Chamber Music Series was held in Molnar Recital Hall on Monday, April 14. Many students, faculty and community members were in attendance to see The Amernet String Quartet perform a handful of selections.
The concert began with long, loud applause as the performers took the stage to play the first of three compositions during the evening. The selections were of German, Hungarian and Czech origins. This was the quartet’s fifth appearance at the university, and after the first selection, cellist Jason Calloway stated, “We are very happy to be here once again.” The members of the quartet were violinists Misha Vitenson and Marcia Littley, Calloway and Michael Klotz on the viola.
The first piece was “String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major” by composer W.A. Mozart. This was a very elegant piece with various tempo changes and moods expressed throughout the four movements.
Each movement transitioned smoothly into the next, and each provided a different and new emotion through the use of different dynamics, rhythms and tones. After this selection, Calloway addressed the audience with a brief overview of the previous piece and the next piece. He also said, “These are works we are not used to hearing.”
The second piece was “String Quartet No. 3” by composer Béla Bartók. The quartet played the three movements out of the original six. The piece began with a short cello solo and then followed with the introduction of the viola and the violins.
The music gave an eerie and mysterious feeling as the instrumentalists continued to play and the piece only grew in intensity. In this piece, the instrumentalists did not only play with their bows, but also used their fingers to pluck various strings for a different tone. Next came a brief intermission, then once again the quartet took the stage to perform their final piece of the night, “String Quartet No. 9 in D Minor” by composer Antonín Dvořák. Before beginning this final piece, Klotz stood up and dedicated the last song to Hampden-Sydney Alumni Mark Johnson, who passed away last week. This composition was a very romantic and powerful piece. Each movement progressed and flowed along, leading up to the grand finale.
Overall, the concert was a huge success and the quartet received a standing ovation at the conclusion of the final piece. Following the concert was a short reception in the Pauline B. Haga Room where members of the audience could meet the quartet and purchase some of their musical selections.
The concert provided the audience with a different genre of music than we are used to hearing and provided three different types of compositions that members of the audience may not have heard before.
Without the generous contributions of various patrons, the Chamber Music Series would not have happened and the students of Longwood would not have had the chance to experience music from different time periods. This series of concerts that began in September were truly a wonderful experience for all who were able to attend.
