The Tokyo String Quartet enchanted an audience of almost 600 with their chamber music performance Friday night at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
With nimble fingers grasped around their bows, the members of the ensemble sawed and weaved elegantly to the opening piece, Mozart's Quartet in D Major
Hoffmeister.
It set the mood for a very relaxing night said OU student Amanda Brown.
The Tokyo String Quartet consists of founding member violist Kazuhide Isomura; violinist Kikuei Ikeda, who joined the ensemble in 1974; cellist Clive Greensmith, the former Principal Cellist of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, who joined in 1999; and first violinist Martin Beaver, who joined the ensemble in 2002.
The quartet has been regarded as one of the supreme chamber music ensembles of the world, and The London Times described their performance as, Quartet playing of the highest order truly fabulous playing.
The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music; however, the quartet's roots stem from the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where professor Hideo Saito profoundly influenced the founding members. The ensemble became firmly established as one of the world's leading quartets after signing an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammonphon.
The ensemble also is committed to inspiring younger generations of musicians. The members have served on the faculty of the Yale School of Music since 1976 as their quartet-in-residence.
Joining the quartet in the second half of the performance on Tchaikovsky's, Souvenir de Florence
were OU faculty members, violinist Marjorie Bagley and cellist Michael Carrera; both performed with antique instruments from the early 18th Century.
The addition of the professors on the last piece was an excellent finishing touch to the program
OU junior Travis Gregg said. It really showed how talented our music department is.
Stadivarius instruments from the 19th Century, known as the Paganini Quartet
which have been loaned to members by the Nippon Music Foundation since 1995, enhanced the sound of already rich melodies.
Stage manager Dan Hutchinson said the performance was part of a subdivision of the performing arts series known as the chamber series. After the performance the members of the ensemble attended a reception in the Jeffrey D. Chaddock Alumni Room of Mem-Aud. Twenty to 30 other people, including professors, deans and students, joined the quartet.
Everyone loved it
Hutchinson said. The caliber of musicianship was absolutely amazing.
17
Archives
Laura Lee Bloor
