This guy knew a thing or two about string quartets. Thursday evening, I went to hear the St. Lawrence String Quartet’s one millionth engagement at Toronto’s Jane Mallett Theatre, presented by Music Toronto. But I don’t mean to say that there’s anything wrong with the quartet’s ongoing relationship with Music Toronto – on the contrary, it’s a fine thing that the St. Lawrences have built a following in the city where the quartet was first nurtured. We have had the pleasure of seeing them develop and mature over the years.
And the phrase “develop and mature” was brought to my mind when I mentally compared Thursday’s concert to one I reviewed for the Globe and Mail back in 2008. At the time, I noted the quartet’s “constantly aggressive and highly inflected interpretations.” I added, “It’s as though they are performing under ultraviolet light, giving everything they do a bright, purplish hue. How well this approach works depends on the repertoire they’ve chosen.”
And the phrase “develop and mature” was brought to my mind when I mentally compared Thursday’s concert to one I reviewed for the Globe and Mail back in 2008. At the time, I noted the quartet’s “constantly aggressive and highly inflected interpretations.” I added, “It’s as though they are performing under ultraviolet light, giving everything they do a bright, purplish hue. How well this approach works depends on the repertoire they’ve chosen.”
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