MUSIC REVIEW : Lark String Quartet Shows Soaring Promise

In the realm of classical music, some barriers are beginning to tumble. For a number of seasons, the Colorado Quartet, which is composed of four women, has demonstrated the viability of such an ensemble in the predominantly male bastion of the string quartet. Three years ago, cellist Laura Sewell followed in Colorado’s footsteps to form the Lark Quartet, which made its local debut Sunday evening at San Diego State University’s Montezuma Hall.

While it is premature to hail this new group as the next Juilliard Quartet, the Lark’s ascent should be well worth watching. The ensemble’s virtues, evidenced in its performance of Schubert’s slightly melancholy A Minor Quartet, Op. 29, include a well-tuned balance, an unmistakable unity of purpose and a light, buoyant sound that is easy to listen to.

The group demonstrated its promise, however, in Dohnanyi’s Serenade for String Trio, performed by Sewell, violinist Robin Mayforth and violist Anna Kruger. The vigor and passion of the Dohnanyi could not be attributed merely to the composer’s overripe idiom, but to the fact that these three women were the quartet’s original members. Because of the remarkable chemistry among these players, the serenade alternately soared in the spirited Scherzo and glowed in the sublime moments of the Theme and Variations movement.

First violinist Eva Gruesser joined the Lark Quartet only a month ago, and she is clearly not yet integrated into this polished group. She is so new that the program notes still listed her predecessor, Kay Stern, as first violinist. Although Gruesser exhibited no insecurities in performing her part, her participation made the interpretation sound more tentative and raised the level of emotional reserve from the other three players.

To open its program, Lark chose Haydn’s C Major Quartet, Op. 20, No.2, which suited its penchant for elegance and refinement. It was an ideal showcase for Sewell, who reveled in the idiomatic cello solo lines, leading the ensemble with a subtle but firm hand.

The serene and placid mood of this quartet, however, did not prove to be a winning trait with the 1,000-member audience, made up almost entirely of students. Although the decidely youngish players of the Lark Quartet might have passed for university students, their collective musical experience put them in a different realm entirely. Since most students are novices to the chamber music repertory, why not hit them with something contemporary and unusual? Papa Haydn is probably too tame for these members of the MTV generation.

The Lark Quartet is in residence at SDSU and will perform later this fall season with the University Orchestra.