Takacs Quartet, Pianist Maxim Philippov: Seamless Collaboration

The Takacs Quartet played a joyous, standard-setting program Tuesday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Violinists Edwin Dusinberre and Karoly Schranz, violist Roger Tapping and cellist Andras Fejer brought extraordinary vitality and ensemble to Beethoven’s Quartet in B flat (“La Malinconia”) and Ravel’s Quartet in F. They were then joined by pianist Maxim Philippov, one of two silver medalists in last year’s 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, for a richly satisfying performance of Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat, the same work heard in Irvine less than two weeks ago as the basis for choreographer Mark Morris’ new dance “V.”

Now all four Cliburn winners have played in Orange County: Gold medalists Olga Kern and Stanislav Ioudenitch and co-silver medalist Antonio Pompa-Baldi appeared with the Pacific Symphony last summer. But Philippov arrived with something special. The Takacs had served in the chamber music portion of the competition.

The collaboration here was seamless and deep, and gave evidence of why Philippov also won an award for the best performance of chamber music in Fort Worth.

The quartet also put its signature on the other two works. Beethoven’s “La Malinconia” (Melancholy) startled as it moved from high-spirited give and take to the unspeakable tragedy that initiates the last movement. Ravel’s Quartet emerged as airy and open, often gossamer but just as often full of brightness and virile energy.