ABRAMYAN STRING QUARTET, in concert in the Libby Gardner Concert Hall on Sunday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.; one performance only.
Judging by the lack of audience members at Sunday's concert by the Abramyan String Quartet, you would have thought that there was a Jazz playoff game or a special edition of "Survivor II" on TV. Or maybe it was just because they played on a Sunday evening — not the most propitious time for concerts here in Utah.
In any case, the Abramyan deserves a larger crowd than the 100 or so who showed up, quite simply because it is a remarkable ensemble.
Made up of Utah Symphony members Gerald Elias and Lynnette Stewart, violins; Scott Lewis, viola; and John Erickson, cello, the group plays chamber music the way it was intended — from the heart. They are consummate artists, who capture the spirit of the music, bringing out the character and flavor of each piece with fervor and passion. Their performances are marked with an awe-inspiring intensity and dedication.
On the program at Sunday's concert were works by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and local composer Jeff Manookian, whose quartet, "The Dances of St. Gregory," was written for the Abramyan.
"Dances" is a string of Armenian folk and church melodies, intermingled with some of Manookian's own tunes. Manookian is in an Armenian phase right now. Like Madonna, he keeps reinventing himself as a composer to stay in the limelight. His earlier works were third-rate imitations of Bernstein and Barber, but now he has found some success in exploiting the music of his ethnic heritage. And it's anyone's guess what Manookian will sound like next year.
Fortunately, the rest of the evening was made up of music with more substance.
Mendelssohn's Quartet in E flat major, op. 12, opened the concert. The Abramyan brought out the lyricism and youthful lightheartedness of this work wonderfully, in a performance that was vivacious and engaging and filled with good-natured charm. Mendelssohn doesn't get much better than this.
The concert ended with Tchaikovsky's delightfully melodic Quartet in D major, op. 11. The Abramyan played this expressive work with enthusiasm and vitality. It was a richly rewarding musical experience.
E-MAIL: ereichel@desnews.com