The curse of dismal weather which has plagued the first 3 programs for Mainly Mozart’s Spotlight Series 2010 has finally lifted. Friday night was a gorgeous San Diego evening, and there were plenty of people in attendance at the Neurosciences Institute.

Daedalus Quartet.

^{Steve J. Sherman}

However, there were some clouds on the horizon, at least for this listener. I last heard David Shifrin in the same venue a little more than a year ago, and his performance was disappointing compared to his usual high standards. Two years ago I encountered the Daedalus Quartet at the Athenaeum, and while they were a technically polished group, I found their needless overabundance of drama and enthusiasm rather off-putting.

Friday night, though, the Daedalus Quartet gave a brilliant reading of Beethoven’s String Quartet in F, op. 18, no. 1, with none of the hysteria I recall from my first acquaintance with them. Perhaps their playing has not changed, and simply sounds more agreeable experiencing them outside the close confines of the Athenaeum. Perhaps what struck me as a group trying way too hard to impress in the intimacy of the Athenaeum just plays better in a bigger hall like the Neurosciences Institute. Perhaps in the two-year interval since last I heard them, the Daedalus Quartet has learned to dial down the whiz-bang zeal. Whatever the reason, they captured the drama and humor of Beethoven’s first quartet without overplaying it, and that’s a definite improvement in my book.

This was a bustling, kinetic interpretation of Beethoven’s First, but the architecture was clearly limned, and this combination of energy with respect for form was thoroughly enjoyable. Their tone was precise and their ensemble work tight, never losing control no matter how fast they rode this splendid old warhorse. Here and throughout the rest of the evening, cellist Raman Ramakrishnan laid down a warm, secure foundation, playing with solid intonation and articulation, yet capable of producing a lyrical cantabile when needed.

The Daedalus is one of those string quartets which switches off between violinists for first violin duty. Min-Young Kim and Kyu-Young Kim are both capable leaders, although a sweeter, richer tone (but never too much!) was detectable in Kyu-Young’s playing for Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. K.Y.’s performance enhanced the intimacy of Mozart with a silky, sensual, yet natural feeling.

David Shifrin was in top form, playing Mozart’s glorious melodies with a beautiful, consistent tone. Shifrin must have played the Quintet hundreds of times in his career, and he clearly had fun with his music Friday night. He brought plenty of excitement to the development of the first movement (aided by the Daedalus Quartet). In the second movement, he coyly delayed the melody. In the third movement, after pealing out the minuet theme, he teased the tune along in the second trio (which for all intents and purposes sounds like a waltz to modern ears). This was a wonderful performance of one of the most wonderful pieces of chamber music ever composed.

Carl Maria von Weber is probably most frequently heard by modern audiences as the composer of Aufforderung zum Tanze (Invitation To The Dance), which was orchestrated by Berlioz and immortalized as the music to Fokine’s short ballet, Le Spectre de la Rose. Although a crucial influence on Wagner for German opera, Weber’s operas Der Freischutz and Oberon are rarely produced in the U.S. these days. In recent times pianists have begun a more thorough reevaluation of Weber’s solo and concerto works.

However, Weber never went out of fashion with clarinetists, due to his writing several brilliant concertos, concertante works and chamber pieces for their repertoire. Weber’s Clarinet Quintet is perhaps his most frequently performed chamber ensemble piece; while it cannot claim to scale the profound heights that Mozart conquered with his Quintet, Weber’s Quintet is an entertaining composition and provides clarinetists a chance to show off their technique while providing them with attractive melodies at the same time.

Shifrin made the most of Weber’s Quintet, flinging off scales so quickly and fluidly that they almost sounded like glissandi, comfortably jumping between high and low registers, and milking his cadenzas for every last drop of drama. The Daedalus Quartet were amiable musical partners with Shifrin, buffing this gem to a brilliant sheen.

For a copy of the program, click here.