Concert review: Jasper Quartet

Following a masterclass earlier in the day, the Philadelphia-based Jasper Quartet took the stage during the evening to launch its Bowdoin Festival debut with Britten’s Three Divertimenti. Bringing the composer’s joyous bons mots to life, the group displayed keen attention to colour, line and texture.

The foursome continued with an expert traversal of the vivid hues of Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001) by Gabriela Lena Frank, which has become deservedly popular since its creation.

In six brief movements, the composer combines Western classical traditions with sounds from the Andes, evoking the Peruvian idea of ‘mestizaje’(the mixing of indigenous and European cultures) as envisioned by the writer José María Arguedas.

With nods to the siku (the Andean panpipe), the charango (related to the guitar) and the quena (a bamboo flute), the composer melds those timbres with glissandos, snap pizzicatos and other string techniques for an appealingly hybrid showpiece.

On this occasion, the most memorable part was the fifth section, ‘Canto de Velorio’, inspired by las lloronas (‘the weepers’), the women who add further sadness to funeral rites. The composer ends the movement with wispy, magical harmonics that embody their grief, and the Jasper brought its own mournful empathy.

To conclude came Dvořák’s Tenth String Quartet, the ‘Slavonic’, with the ensemble underlining its mix of gentleness and folk rhythms. The famous ‘Dumka’ was a sprightly delight, but the entire group showed cohesion and verve all the way through to the luscious conclusion.

BRUCE HODGES