The Johannes String Quartet played at the Baltimore Museum of Art last Saturday, Nov. 12, as part of the Shriver Hall Concert Series. Consisting of violinist Soovin Kim, violinist Jessica Lee, violist Choong-Jin Chang and cellist Peter Stumpf, the group took to the stage in a filled auditorium. They began by introducing the first piece, "Homonculus," which was written for them by Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2007.
"[Salonen] was fascinated by the arcane spermist theory," Kim explained, "that within every sperm is a little man. Of course, then, there are many little men inside one man." This idea of "from creation, creation" was evident in the piece. The slurred bowings and multiple rounds created a sense of flow, much like sperm swimming.
The quartet very much deserved the opportunity to premiere and, in a sense, partially own "Homonculus"; the piece was perfect for them because it displayed their seemingly innate abilities in unifying their sound. In the middle of the piece, the quartet climaxed to a high-pitched chord that followed with a falling glissando — and even this unscripted slide felt perfectly coordinated. They passed melodies from one to another flawlessly, creating a ribbon of sound that never broke. The best seat in the house, surely, would have been right in the middle of the four musicians.
The next piece was Ottorino Respighi's "String Quartet in D Minor." Despite the beauty of the music, the audience became restless halfway through the lengthy piece. "String Quartet in D Minor" did little to emphasize the musicians' skills. After intermission, the quartet ended their concert with Franz Schubert's "String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810, ‘Death and the Maiden'." The piece brought some liveliness back into the group and the audience.
Cellist Stumpf proved his graceful abilities during the playful exchanges between the cello and violin in the Andante con moto. Although Stumpf's solos were brief and rare, he shone every single time — even if he was just doing simple pizzicato. Kim led the group admirably on his Stradivarius and kept the concert light with his humor.
The final Presto of "Death and the Maiden" gave the Johannes String Quartet a chance to demonstrate their technical precision and passion, which the audience responded to with a standing ovation.
