Four musicians entered the Scandinavian Cultural Center Monday, and without introduction, began to play. Rasa String Quartet (Kiyoshi Hayashi and Maura Shawn Scanlin, violins; Emma Powell, viola; Mina Kim, cello) began the Music Monday concert with Hidden View by The Fretless, a string quartet that like Rasa, showcases music where folk, jazz and Classical veins intersect. Heard at the outset is a reel with an insistent 16th-note motion that alternated with a dotted eighth-note theme. The two violins played the melodies while the viola and cello provided rhythmic and coloristic background. The strikingly tight ensemble impressively brought out (even the “quiet” viola part scored as notes in parentheses) and deftly executed the mood changes. The unresolved ending (a stack of G and D chords) let us know we were in for an unconventional hour.
Kyoshi then introduced himself and the quartet, stating that the program, mixing Classical, jazz and rock, was his dream child. He confessed “I always wanted to be a rock star”, and with this program he took one step closer.
Old Reinlender from Sonndala by the Danish String Quartet showed a strong rock influence. While the two fiddles played their tunes with the required panache, the lower strings had their own counter melodies which Powell and Kim brought out with confidence and ease.
The next set paired Henry Purcell (Fantasia in D Minor Z. 739) with Pink Floyd (“Shine on You Crazy Diamond”). The Purcell opens with a two-measure motif consisting of a descending fourth, followed by a stepwise melody. Heard first in the viola, it is taken up by the other instruments. The four players communicated the music’s inherent serenity and stability. Although a section near the end is marked “brisk”, the overall mood remains unchanged. Rasa easily took on the mood of a viol consort where all voices are equal, and a solemn courtliness prevails. First and second violins communicated the loftiness of Shine On’s opening with soaring, sonorous lines. The quality of infinite space is imparted by shimmering accompaniments in viola and cello. When the music enters its rock groove, we again enjoyed Kim’s confidence as a jaunty, slightly devilish cellist.
Jungyoon Wie’s, “A Popular Tune” mingled Korean folk melodies mingle with sounds referencing nature. Here again we witnessed the quartet’s consummate cohesiveness, as all communicated the “seagull cries” called for in the score. An earthy playful section recalls traditional American folk music. Short pizzicato motifs in all parts end quietly, a reference to our fragile existence. “Stand by Me” (Ben King) ensued, enjoyed by players and audience alike. Rasa’s rendition of Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1(arrangement by Stephan Koncz) floated through time and space, all listeners wrapped for that moment in wistfulness and nostalgia.
In four selections from Sonnets and Rondeaux of Giovanni Sollima, unconventional key changes were the hallmark of the first, Rondeau Allegro II, a fiddle tune with rhythmic accompaniment. Rondeau Allegro IV, in 12/8 time was wild, abounding in cross rhythms and rising to a frenzied conclusion. In Sonnet V continuous cello (and ultimately viola and cello) arpeggios create a flow of sound while a four-note theme drives the other instruments. All players were propelled by what felt like a force of nature. In the middle of Rondeau VI, the theme from Rondeau II emerged, as all careen towards an ending (on an unexpected A flat) that, while not victorious, can be described as unvanquished.
Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin’s arrangement fused an Irish waltz by Donough Hennessy with Minuet II from J.S. Bach’s E major Partita for solo violin, evidenced Bach’s inner swing as the Minuet merged seamlessly into the waltz. The fast-moving closer, Little Lion Man by the band Mumford and Sons, provided a moving finish.
Audience reaction made clear that Rasa’s mix of Classical, jazz, rock and whatever else had been a hit. We hope they return soon.