Before returning to their homes in Berlin, the Leonkoro Quartet finished their north American tour with an entertaining concert at Logan Center in Hyde Park on Friday night. Formed in 2019, the Leonkoro Quartet is comprised of the brothers Jonathan and Lukas Schwarz on first violin and cello, second violinist Amalie Wallner, and violist Mayu Kanoe. In addition to the youthful energy one might expect from this young group of players, they demonstrated mature intensity and well-rehearsed polish.
Entering the stage dressed in black, they positioned themselves in the way I like best, with the viola upstage from the cello. This was necessary because the violins and viola played standing up, a stage arrangement that insured that the cello was not blocked from view. They also eschewed the increasingly common practice of using electronic music displayed on tablets, relying instead on old-fashioned sheet music.
The performance offered a nice mixture spanning the early years of the quartet repertoire from the late 18th Century to more modern times in the 20th. While not perfect, they played everything with deep attention and intensity. They also had some light-hearted fun.
The program turned first to the 1780’s with one of Franz Joseph Haydn’s quartets from the Op. 50 collection, No. 5 in F-major “Dream.” From the delicate opening notes on the violins to the rapid flourishes shortly thereafter, Leonkoro played with precision and tightness. This piece has earned the nickname “Dream” because of quiet middle movement. They played it so subtly, it sounded as if their strings were muted, which they weren’t: the overtones were there.
Throughout this performance, the Leonkoro Quartet showed great care in weaving the melodies back and forth between the players. While first violinist Lukas Schwarz held it together with clearly executed phrases, there were plenty of instances when the others stood out as equals.
Fast forward to the 1920s for music about as different from Haydn as one can be: Lyrical Suite by Alban Berg, a student of Arnold Schoenberg in Vienna. In Lyrical Suite Berg incorporated many of the 12-tone techniques pioneered by Schoenberg. While residing within an atonal nexus, there are some hints of tonality as it moves to many different feelings over six movements.
Leonkoro Quartet rose to the occasion, showing rapid interplay in the joyous romp in the opening movement. In the third movement, quiet, rapid notes on muted strings sounded like mice scampering in the hallway. Throughout they demonstrated excellent variation in dynamics, going from loud to quiet very effectively. Their posture and facial expressions revealed an intense affinity for this music and helped bring the audience in.
Following intermission, Leonkoro Quartet gave a different interpretation to an old favorite, Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 4 in e-minor, Op. 44 no. 2. In the first movement, from the opening melody backed up by disjointed chords, their playing was very tactful, not the in-your-face approach one typically hears with this quartet. There is a lot going on in this music, especially with backing infills and other effects. This approach brought all of it out.
As is typical of Mendelssohn, this piece has a fun scherzo, where the players allowed their enjoyment to come through. They reserved the greatest intensity for the finale, which is where it should be. They really captured the feelings Mendelssohn intended.
After several rousing ovations, Leonkoro Quartet did a lovely encore of Crisantemi (chrysanthemums) by Giacomo Puccini. This thoughtful and moody piece was a perfect synopsis of their performance. They were very entertaining, and I hope to see them again.
This performance was part of the UChicago Presents concert season. This Thursday, the progressive dance company InDANCE comes to Logan Center. April 11, 2025, 7:30 pm. For more information and tickets, click here.