I missed most of the Bath Festival this year, but caught towards the end the Belcea Quartet’s Beethoven programme at the Assembly Rooms.
After hearing an efficient performance of the fifth of the ‘Haydn’ quartets, I managed to track down the tubs of ice cream in the interval. (There is a cabinet of them in a corner of the room with the bar in, but watch out as some are the diabetic ones). Fortified, I returned for Op. 130.
I think I know this least well of all the late quartets. This performance included the Große Fuge, which I’d only ever before heard played separately. And somehow the knowledge that this finale was coming up informed the rest of the performance. Between the movements the pauses were longer than usual, as if the performers needed to summon up extra strength for what lay ahead. And while there was great dynamic contrast in the earlier movements, there was also a sense that something had to be kept in reserve. The audience, too, seemed to be holding its collective breath. Apart from those who were afflicted by coughs; this concert had more extraneous noise than I’ve heard in a while, including dogs barking outside, the dreaded Nokia ringtone in the first half, and programme-rustling. This last was partly because of the kind of crackly paper on which the programmes have been printed for this Festival – something for the organisers to take note of for next year?
So when the Große Fuge came round, we were all hanging on every note (and weren’t disappointed). But it’s very hard to concentrate on the earlier part of the quartet if you’re so eager to hear how the performers will manage the end of it. Perhaps the Große Fuge is better detached and performed on its own after all. Or maybe someone should try programming the quartet without saying in advance what the final movement will be. Has this ever been done?
This programme is being repeated on June 13th, broadcast live on Radio 3 and available on demand for a week afterwards.