Haydn: String Quartet op. 64/5 - Janacek: String Quartet nr. 2 - Ravel: String Quartet

Yesterday it was Takacs Quartet's turn to perform at the Brussels Conservatoire. A splendid programme: Haydn's Lark Quartet, Janacek's Intimate Letters, and Ravel's masterpiece. The hall was full but the audience was dead silent. Yet again, and significantly more so than with the Haas Quartet, I was unable to stay with the music. I found the Takacs' playing less than compelling. There was a unfocused quality, a diffusion of energy that made the music sound muffled and uninvolving. The Haydn quartet was performed very leisurely, giving the impression of a laid-back rehearsal session. Pleasant, but hardly captivating. Janacek's quartet was a disappointment. I love the music, but this reading struck me as disjointed and contrived. Already the sul ponticello effects at the very outset of the piece annoyed me, as if what I heard was something fake, not the real thing. I lost interest somewhere halfway down the road. I drew most satisfaction from the Ravel, which received a solid and, yes, perhaps even good performance. All in all a not very memorable evening. I didn't wait for the encore.