Quator Danel
(c) Marco Borggreve
How did you and your colleagues from the Danel Quartet react when you found out that you had won the International Classical Music Awards for the Chamber Music category with your album of Shostakovich’s String Quartets?
I was so happy that our work is being recognized by professionals. It means a great deal to us, especially after all the studying, rehearsing and performing. We try to create something we believe in and enjoy. If both the audience and professionals like our music, then we see it as a success.
What can you tell us about the structure of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Quartet Cycle?
I think it’s important to view this cycle as the best biography of Shostakovich. This isn’t just my opinion, but something I’ve heard from musicologists. His quartets are closely tied to his personal life, and if we look at the dedications, they’re all for people close to him – friends, musicians, composers and his wives. The first quartet was written around the time his son, Maxim, was born. Shostakovich wanted to write 24 quartets, but only wrote 15, yet we can still wonder what could have come after the 15th, which feels like a requiem for himself. This cycle spans from birth to death. We love performing it in five concerts over the course of two and a half days. It’s a compact cycle that tells a story. After the 15th, it’s hard to encore such an intense work. The only encore that really fits is the first movement of Quartet No. 1, which feels like a rebirth. The central piece in the cycle is Quartet No. 8, the most famous and frequently performed, and it happens to be right in the middle.
How do you explain the popularity of Quartet No. 8?
I think it’s because of its structure – five continuous movements. It’s not exactly a happy quartet, as he wrote it after visiting Dresden. We had the honor of performing and rehearsing it at the Gorisch Festival, the very place where it was written. Every July, there’s a Shostakovich Festival. This quartet is something that anyone can appreciate, even if just a part of it. I’ve noticed it’s played by many different ensembles. There’s Barshai’s arrangement for string orchestra, but I’ve also heard it performed by a saxophone quartet, a wind quintet, and even by heavy metal guitarists. It’s universal music that’s easy to appreciate, as it’s a short and accessible quartet – only 22 minutes long. It feels very direct, yet also quite complex. It’s a very honest piece, with Shostakovich using many themes from his other works. It’s a quartet written primarily for himself, as he once said: I don’t know if anyone will ever dedicate a work to me, but I’m writing this one for myself. The quartet even begins with his name, DSCH, which in German notation will be the notes D, E flat, C, and B. For all these reasons, it holds a special place in Shostakovich’s life and in the hearts of music lovers.
In a previous interview, you mentioned that your colleagues worked closely with Valentin Berlinsky, the cellist of the Borodin Quartet, who knew Dmitri Shostakovich, and how this experience influenced your ensemble’s performances. What would you say you learned from the Borodin Quartet?
The Borodin Quartet had an impressive technique, with a very precise, defined sound and incredible intonation, qualities that fit perfectly with Shostakovich’s music. They brought sophistication to the performance of this cycle of 15 quartets. They worked closely with Shostakovich, so many of their techniques and sounds were approved by him, and they shared them with us. For example, I would mention the sound structure. In Shostakovich’s music, there are many passages with sustained notes and long chords, where one or two instruments carry the theme. We try to shape the sound like an organ tone, with the bow close to the bridge, producing a very centered sound, almost like an organ or a church choir. This would be one of the techniques we learned from them. Another one is more of an anecdote: it seems Shostakovich was fond of the blue light, the special glow around a candle’s flame. So, they developed the ‘candle vibrato’, a slightly wider and very unique vibrato, which we use in some passages.
Quator Danel
(c) Marco Borggreve
The Danel Quartet has also recorded the string quartets of Mieczysław Weinberg, a close friend of Shostakovich. It is said that the two composers influenced each other. How do you view the relationship between their music based on your performance experience?
When we started working on Weinberg’s music, it was actually Berlinsky who first said: Now that we’re working on Shostakovich’s quartets, it would be good for you to look into Weinberg’s quartets as well. So, there are 17 quartets written by Weinberg that we have recorded. At first, our interpretations were naturally influenced by our work on Shostakovich, but we quickly realized that Weinberg has a unique voice. Even though he was younger, you can sometimes hear some melodies or compositional techniques that first appear in Weinberg’s works. The two were very close. Even though there are many similarities between their music. To give an example, someone compared their relationship to Beethoven and Schubert: Beethoven strikes with force, while Schubert attempts to do so, but doesn’t quite reach the same impact. We feel a similar connection between Shostakovich and Weinberg. Why? I couldn’t tell from the musicological point of view, but Beethoven, like Shostakovich, has a strong sense of form that’s easy to follow, while Weinberg, like Schubert, can create more abstract structures. In French, there’s a phrase about Schubert’s divine longueur, describing his ability to linger in an atmosphere – it’s easy to get lost, but it feels divine. I feel something similar with Weinberg, a unique warmth.
Let’s now focus on your artistic journey. Which violists have inspired you throughout your career?
I was very impressed when I first started playing the viola, I listened a lot to Yuri Bashmet, but the violists who inspired me the most were quartet violists – Dmitri Shebalin, from the Borodin Quartet, remains an inspiration to this day. However, the violists who inspired me the most were those who played with the Enescu Quartet, where my father was the first violin. So: Dan Iarca – my uncle, Liviu Stănese and Vladimir Mendelssohn, who was my mentor and thanks to whom I am now a part of the Danel Quartet, as he introduced me to my colleagues. All three of them had very different styles, in terms of sound and stage presence. They remain my inspiration, and I’ll always carry them with me. Their impact will never fade.
Which other composers do you particularly resonate with?
Two composers I deeply admire are Brahms and Enescu. I don’t know if it’s because I was born in Romania and grew up in Paris, but I feel a certain connection to Enescu’s music. I always feel something special when I play or listen to his music. I’ve been lucky to perform his Octet, Quintet, and other chamber works, though I haven’t had the chance to play his orchestral pieces. Still, everything I’ve played has brought me great joy and a certain feeling.
What are your future plans with the Danel Quartet?
We have exciting projects. Personally, I dream a lot of performing again at the Enescu Festival, where I have many beautiful memories. For me, performing in Romania means a lot. Every time I return, whether for family or to perform, it’s an important moment. I had the chance to perform twice at the Enescu Festival – the first time was an unforgettable moment because I played the Enescu Octet with the Enescu Quartet, with my grandmother, my wife, and my mother in the audience… so naturally, these are priceless moments. I’ve recently performed again and we are very eager to perform there once more. I believe my colleagues were also deeply impressed by the reception we’ve always received in Romania, and we hope to return with Shostakovich’s or Weinberg’s music or even with Enescu’s music.
