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Edgar Meyer and the St. Petersburg String Quartet Captivate Hyde Park

Edgar Meyer and the St. Petersburg String Quartet Captivate Hyde Park
By M.L. Rantala, Classical Music Critic
Hyde Park Herald
April 29, 2009

The bass as an instrument seems to fade into the background. It can offer deep support in symphonic settings, for example, without being widely noticed. But when Edgar Meyer brings this stringed instrument to the front of the stage no listener can think about it without respect and even awe.

So it was Friday night at Mandel Hall, as University of Chicago Presents brought back the king of the bass for a marvelous recital also featuring his longtime collaborator, Amy Dorfman, on the piano.

The evening began with some classical crackle: Haydn's Divertimento in D major, arranged by Piatigorsky. Meyer's approach to the opening "Adagio" was stylish and imbued with understated grace. The concluding "Allegro" was meaty and full of flourishes and elegant rapid runs.

Schubert's "Arpeggione" has long been one of my favorites and I was intrigued at the opportunity to hear it on yet another instrument it wasn't written for. (Schubert composed the piece for the now highly obscure Bogen-Guitarre, a six-string fretted guitar played with a bow.) Meyer's performance was committed and thoughtful, including great delicacy of phrasing apart from a few ostentatious slides that were powerfully distracting. The loving "Adagio" and fiery opening to the "Allegretto" were entirely engrossing. But the cello still seems to be the modern instrument that better captures the tonal qualities of the beautiful melodies of this work.

Two of Meyer's own works were far better advertisements for the charms and strengths of the bass. His "Canon" was an exquisite exercise in bass and piano duo playing, and the composition has a lovely arc: starting simply, growing more complex and then receding back to simplicity.
According to the program notes, Meyer's "The Great Green Sea Snake" was written in the back seat of a car. I wonder how many compositions have this sort of beginning? It's got strong jazz and blues influences and hypnotic rhythms. Meyer and Dorfman made it highly entertaining.

After the intermission Meyer took the stage alone for Bach's first unaccompanied suite for cello. Again, familiar music played on a new instrument made for a fascinating performance. Meyer's joyful agility and easy gracefulness made the performance an unalloyed treasure.
The "Havanaise" by Saint Saëns was given muscular treatment by both bass and piano but was the one piece of the evening least worthy of their talent.

They closed the proceedings with "Fantasia Cerrito," a tour de force written by the 19th century bass virtuoso Giovanni Bottesini. Meyer got to show it all off: his effortless runs, his ability to make the bass cry in the upper ranges and growl in the lower ones, and his unerring sense of the dramatic. It was no surprise that the crowd jumped out of their chairs before the last note faded away.

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