Skampa Quartet - Reviews

Škampa Quartet at Slovak Philharmonic Hall

Bratislava, 10. March 2009

Today, it is no longer unusual for string quartets to have women play alongside men. This proved to be the case in the Small Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic, where the renowned Skampa Quartet played on 10th March – with a significant change in members. The programme did not mention that the ensemble in its current line-up, which includes Helena Jiřikovská - 1st violin, Daniela Součková - 2nd violin, Radim Sedmidubský - viola and Lukáš Polák - cello – has only been playing together for less than a year. Nevertheless the result was a stunning interpretation! The newly joined violinists have an astonishing technique, leading the bow brilliantly with impeccable intonation. The second violin “lives“ in the sound of the first violin and communicates excellently with the cellist seated next to her and the viola player. Exceptional also was the positioning of the ensemble - only the cellist was seated, both violinists and the viola player were standing. This contributed to a better and more relaxed feeling to the playing, which the musicians themselves affirmed when we spoke after the concert ...

The concert started with a poised performance of Haydn’s String Quartet in G major Op.77 No.1 in which the violinists had to juggle the most demanding passages, always very exact in their entries. Particularly elegant was the rhythmically succinct minuet. This excellent tribute to the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death was followed by the String Quartet No.7 by Bohuslav Martinů, the 50th anniversary of whose death is being remembered by the music world. I immensely enjoyed how effortlessly and confidently both violinists conquered the challenging score. As a connoisseur of the music of this congenial composer, I know the characteristic rhythmic perils, passages of scales and syncopation. The climax of the concert was Schubert’s gigantic String Quartet in G major, D 887. It was only published after the composer’s death in 1851, and partly because of its challengingly long duration (almost 40 minutes), it never achieved the same popularity as, for example, the Quartet in D minor ”Der Tod und das Mädchen“. The Škampas threw themselves headlong into this demanding piece ”as knights in shining armour“, and the result was superb in every way. Their impeccable communication and crystal clear intonation – these were the main criteria that won them the absolute favour of the – unfortunately not too large – audience.

Paraphrasing a quotation from Verdi’s Nabucco (which was sung in Slovakian in the 1960s), only “a handful of stalwarts” attended this extraordinary concert. The Quartet achieved a lot of success in its initial set-up. And I am entirely convinced that the new, “gentler“ members are already following in their predecessors’ footsteps. Proof of this is a UK tour, which includes a concert at the world-famous Wigmore Hall, which can be considered as the “Carnegie Hall” of chamber music.

As an encore we heard a composition by the quartet’s former leader Pavel Fischer, with which the Czech musicians equally impressed the audience. They played the last movement from his string quartet called Morava – a witty, original composition, consisting of a multitude of almost jazz-like rhythms, inspired by Moravian folktunes. A marvellous encore - proof of how interesting a contemporary piece of music can be.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that the first violinist used to be concertmaster of the Talich Chamber Orchestra in Prague for many years, and the second violinist used to play in the Prague Philharmonia, which was founded by the world-famous conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. Thus, both musicians have their “roots“ in Prague’s outstanding ensembles. The Quartet in its new set-up made a glowing debut; I look forward to another encounter, hopefully in the packed hall of the Slovak Philharmonic.

Juraj Alexander - Musical Life Magazine Bratislava, April 2009