By Daniel Buckwalter

I have seen the future of live performances in the arts. They look the same as past live performances that I have eyed on computer screens during this pandemic: Small.

Reviewer Daniel Buckwalter; photo by Randi Bjornstad

In the halting start of this season and with cautionary restrictions everywhere in terms of face coverings and social distancing, there are fewer people attending in the sanctuaries and halls for the musicians to draw energy from, and those audience members are spread out to the point where they can’t draw energy from each other.

So there is technology. Cameras catch angles, microphones are flipped, lights turn green and, presto, you have, in this particular case, the opening of Delgani String Quartet’s sixth season. It happened on Oct. 25 in front of 40 people at the Christian Science Church in Eugene, or alternatively on your home computer screen. It was the first time Delgani had performed live in the church since January of 2019.

A repeat performance via both methods will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

It seems cold, yet it’s the new normal that Delgani and other organizations will have to navigate for the foreseeable future. And old-school types like me (“How do you turn this damn thing on?”) will have to adapt.

The Eugene Symphony Orchestra is going in a like-minded direction on Nov. 19 when a slim, 32-piece ensemble convenes at the spacious Hult Center for the Performing Arts in front of specifically invited guests. That concert will be streamed on Nov. 29.

Smaller ensembles will work better while the COVID-19 positivity rate rages on, especially in Lane County. So even on a computer screen — a larger one at an office gave me a better grasp of the concert — Sunday’s concert offered a feeling of contentment as the Delgani String Quartet channeled the artistry of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Harp Quartet,” Joseph Haydn’s “Sunrise Quartet” and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Sixth Quartet.

The occasion marks of Beethoven’s 250th birthday year, and the program — titled Beethoven’s Legacy — showcases the talents of violinist Wyatt True and guest violinist Tom Stone (subbing for Jannie Wei, who is pregnant with her and True’s second child), violist Kimberlee Uwate and cellist Eric Alterman throughout the nearly two-hour performance.

The concert went off without a hitch in terms video production. Yes, the sight lines were narrow (just the stage, and I do tend to look beyond that at any live performance), but Delgani String Quartet is the show, and I was grateful to witness it.

Haydn’s “Sunrise Quartet” piece was first. There was the sparkling first movement, an elegant second movement and a chatty third movement, reflecting the bustle of a late morning. Shostakovich’s Sixth Quartet followed — an alternately light and sprightly as well as a melancholy three-movement piece that seemed to capture the clear sky and chilling brisk autumn wind as people walked by outside, masked and bundled up in the late stages of 2020.

After intermission came the tribute to Beethoven, his 10th quartet, named “Harp,” which certainly has plucking harp-like moments in the first movement. I was taken, though, with the lyrical second movement. It is enough to make me stand still in wonder during these unique times when I know, or believe I know, too much.

Prior to the pandemic, Delgani often would feature guest composers (Elena Ruehr from January of 2019 stands out), but this program is a reminder that we can lean on the giants of the past in these troubled times, too.

Even if just on a computer, it was gratifying to see and hear the Delgani String Quartet again.

Beethoven’s Legacy

When: 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27

Where: First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1390 Pearl St. (in-person performance sold out)

Details: Ticketholders may see the livestream of the Oct. 25 performance for 30 days online at Delgani.org/live/

Information and tickets: Delgani.org.

2020-21 Season continues

Gesture and Journey — In person at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, plus livestreaming. Featuring guest cellist Anne Ridlington of the Eugene Symphony for Franz Schubert’s String Quartet with two cellos, plus works by Alan Hovhaness, Igor Stravinsky, and Anton Webern.

Pieces of America — In person at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 7 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9, plus livestreaming. Diverse pieces from early 20th century to modern, featuring works ranging from folk simplicity to experimental by American composers George Chadwick, Amy Beach, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Elliot Carter, John Adams, and Caroline Shaw.

Schostakovich Piano Quartet — In person at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 23 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25, plus livestreaming. Featuring guest pianist Asya Gulua in Dmitiri Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet, plus Antonin Dvořák’s ninth quartet and Tomáš Svoboda’s tenth quartet, the latter which the Delgani String Quartet first performed for the Portland-based composer’s 80th birthday in 2019.

 

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