Friday, 5/16/97 Alban Berg Quartet concert commemorates
Schubert’s birth MUSIC Renowned string group tours in America after
lapse of three years
By Stephanie Sheh Daily Bruin Contributor It has been about
three years since the Alban Berg Quartet has performed in the
United States. But luckily for their American following, they’re
back to celebrate the 200th anniversary of composer Franz
Schubert’s birth. Violinists Gunter Pichler, Gerhard Schulz,
violist Thomas Kakuska and violoncellist Valentin Erben will
perform Schubert’s Quartet in G minor, Quartet in E flat Major,
Quartet No. 14 in D minor, and "Death and the Maiden," Saturday
night at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater. The quartet’s absence from
the American music scene is due to sheer lack of time. Violist
Thomas Kakuska says that it was mainly due to problems with
scheduling, but that the group is excited to come back. On this
rare tour, the Alban Berg Quartet visits Los Angeles, New York and
San Francisco. After the spring, the four musicians plan to tour in
Japan. "We had our first concert in New York, and it was a
marvelous audience," Kakuska says. "Carnegie Hall was nearly sold
out, and there was a very concentrated audience. It was a great,
great pleasure to play." Playing the viola with the quartet is
something Kakuska has enjoyed for approximately sixteen years now.
Originally a violinist, he started learning to play the viola upon
joining the quartet. When the quartet formed in 1971 there were
different second violinists and violists. The original group played
together in a chamber orchestra and from that formed a quartet.
Although the group has gone through few changes, it still retains
the goals that inspired its conception. The name of the quartet
illustrates the group’s attitude toward performing music. "In
former times, it was typical (for a quartet) to just take the name
of the first violinist," Kakuska explains. "This was not enough. So
all of the groups chose something like a model. "We have chosen our
name to show that we want to make a balance between the romantic
repertoire and also to play contemporary music and music out of
this second Viennese school – Alban Berg and Webern. We took this
name because Alban Berg was the one who was most connected with the
normal repertoire, and he was also a great revolutionary in doing
new pieces." Although the quartet is dedicated to performing more
contemporary pieces, during this tour the string group will be
playing only Schubert in honor of the great composer’s birth. The
restricted program does not bother Kakuska, because he admires and
feels passionately about the composer’s work. "I think that all the
Schubert music is so wonderful and so unique," Kakuska says with an
almost gushing enthusiasm. "Of course these two major quartets,
‘Death and the Maiden’ and the G minor are incredibly wonderful
music, but you can’t say what is your favorite. I mean, you are
just thrilled by the idea that you can play such wonderful pieces.
"Schubert is such a wonderful and emotional composer, so you just
follow his emotions and you try to show that to the audience,"
Kakuska continues. "I think he wanted to show that he knows about
the tragedy of life but that he also can transform it into a
wonderful beauty." The quartet’s vast number of European fans and
stellar reviews suggest they have successfully brought the
compositions to life. Many applaud the Alban Berg Quartet’s evenly
matched performances and string tone. More frequently, they are
praised for their stylistic interpretations of the pieces. "(The
interpretations are) always done in the group, there’s not a
director," Kakuska explains. "We four are working together, and it
takes time but the result must be a consensus between all four
members. There are discussions, and everybody explains his idea
about the piece and then we try it out and we find our way. We
agree more or less with each other." In addition to discussing
musical interpretations and meeting to rehearse, each member of the
quartet is a professor at the Wiener Hochschule Musik (Vienna
School of Music). They also teach German chamber music in Cologne.
Normally, while in Vienna, the members rehearse four times a week
and teach twice a week. "I think that is the best combination you
can have as a musician, to play on stage and also to try to give to
young musicians the experience you have gotten all those years,"
Kakuska says. While the members are teaching students and passing
on accumulated experiences to a younger generation, they are
getting something in return. Kakuska says that he learns from his
students as well. He says that when he makes suggestions he is able
to pay attention to the students’ reactions to determine if his
suggestion is good or not. He is then able to correct things. To
enhance musical learning, Kakuska suggests attending concerts.
"Students should listen to a lot of concerts," he advises. "In my
youth, we learned a lot from concerts. You can learn from good
concerts; you can learn from bad concerts." MUSIC: The Alban Berg
Quartet will play at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater tomorrow night
at 8 p.m. The performance is accompanied by a center-stage lecture
at 7 p.m. Tickets are $39, $27 and $9 with a student I.D. For more
information, call 825-2101. The Movement Company will perform
"Things from the Attic" tonight at the Rose Theatre.