The Ariel Quartet made a triumphant return to Northwestern University's Winter Chamber Music Festival, replacing the Vertavo String Quartet due to visa issues. Their Friday evening concert at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall featured works by Haydn, Berg, and Beethoven, showcasing tight ensemble and expressive depth. The performance highlighted the group's seasoned poise and physical engagement with the music.
The 29th Winter Chamber Music Festival at Northwestern University welcomed the Ariel Quartet on Friday evening at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston, despite challenging arctic weather. Founded in 1998 at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where they now serve as faculty quartet-in-residence, the ensemble stepped in after visa problems sidelined the scheduled Vertavo String Quartet. This marked their return to the festival, which began in 1997, following a previous appearance in 2024.
Comprising violinists Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violist Jan Gruning, and cellist Amit Even-Tov, the quartet demonstrated remarkable dialogue among its members, both musically and physically. Their program bridged eras of the Vienna School, opening with Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 33 No. 2, nicknamed “The Joke” for its playful false endings in the Presto rondo finale. Kazovsky’s animated playing—swaying and leaning in response to the music—drew the audience into the genial, precise performance, prompting premature applause as intended.
The ensemble then tackled Alban Berg’s String Quartet, Op. 3 from 1910, a chromatic work predating full serialism yet foreshadowing atonality. Gerchikov introduced the piece, contrasting the classical language of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven with the revolutionary 12-tone techniques of Schoenberg’s pupils. The Ariel captured its febrile intensity and aching lyricism with luminous execution, navigating rising harmonic tensions masterfully.
The second half featured Beethoven’s Quartet No. 12 in E-flat, Op. 127, one of his late works known for transcending convention. The opening Allegro balanced bold declamatory chords with serene lyricism, while the Adagio variations delved into introspective spirituality. A brisk Scherzo and exhilarating finale showcased their technical command, with a delicate trill concluding in C Major. Minor pitch slips amid the energy did little to detract from the immersion.
The festival, directed by Blair Milton, continues through February 14, with Trio Seoul scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. at Pick-Staiger Hall.