By the time the final thundering chord of Brahm's first Piano Quartet disappeared into the air of Rackham Auditorium, the audience was already on its feet. The standing ovation for the Emerson String Quartet was of course, no accident. The sprawling audience enveloped the proscenium stage from every angle, loudly proclaiming the excellence of the performance. The humble bows of the four onstage musicians were elegant and unapologetic, because no matter where they go, their artistry is felt and adored by their many fans.
The Emerson String Quartet is one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles and has amassed an impressive list of achievements: a brilliant series of recordings exclusively documented by Deutsche Grammophon since 1987, seven Grammy Awards including two unprecedented "Best Classical" Album, three Gramophone awards, and performances in major concert venues throughout the world. Aside from all their successes, Emerson is certainly at home with Ann Arbor, Saturday's performance marking their 13th UMS appearance since 1989.
What was so special about Friday night’s performance was that the quartet became a trio; Eugene Drucker (violinist), sitting in on viola for an absent Larry Dutton who was on leave for medical reasons. In addition pianist Wu Han, co - director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center joined the trio for the second half of the program on the Brahm’s Piano Quartet, Op. 25, making her UMS debut. I had the unique and exciting experience of turning pages for Wu Han. In our 6:00 PM rehearsal, we spoke about our summers. I had the privilege of being at the Aspen Music Festival and saw Wu Han and Emerson there earlier in the season, making our meeting a fun experience to reconnect and talk about our summer in the mountains. Like old friends we chatted in between rehearsal breaks, while we worked together to connect her laptop to the wireless internet connection in the Rackham Building.
After the show, Emerson greeted a list of guests in the green room, including many old friends most of whom were UM School of Music, Theater and Dance faculty. The event ended with a signing, sponsored by Borders Books. Later that evening, David Finckel and Wu Han were spotted outside the Power Center, chatting and laughing in the middle of a tent city of students that had assembled for the following morning’s Royal Shakespeare Company Student Ticket Sale! It was no surprise that UM music students spotted the duo immediately, and posed for pictures taken in the early morning hours, by none other than UMS President, Ken Fischer.
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