Vermeer Quartet
This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. (September 2020) |
The Vermeer Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont and active until 2007.
With performances in practically every major city in North and South America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia, the Vermeer Quartet achieved an international stature as one of the world's finest ensembles. The Vermeer performed at virtually all the most prestigious festivals, including
The Vermeer Quartet performed well over two hundred works, including nearly all the "standard" string quartets, many lesser-known compositions, a number of contemporary scores, and various other works with guests. Their discography includes the complete string quartets of
In 2003 they received their second
The Vermeer was associated with
The Seven Last Words of Christ
The Vermeer Quartet's Grammy-nominated CD of
The Vermeer played The Seven Last Words of Christ all over the world. Following their very first live radio broadcast of this work in 1988 over WFMT (Chicago), well over a hundred different speakers collaborated with the Vermeer, including some of the most renowned religious figures of our time. Their performances reached an estimated 75 million listeners worldwide, thus demonstrating an enduring appeal that extends far beyond the traditional classical music audience. A book entitled Echoes from Calvary: Meditations on Franz Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005) -written by its violist, Richard Young- chronicles their long-time involvement with this Good Friday masterpiece and offers rare insight from many perspectives.
On April 3, 2012, the Vermeer Quartet in a reunion performance once again performed The Seven Last Words of Christ in a live broadcast on WFMT. Commentators were drawn from those who had collaborated in the performances in earlier years.
Reviews
Switzerland's
About their Beethoven recordings,
Australia's The Age wrote, "Their performance was magnificent: majestic in style, technically without flaw, and utterly persuasive."
According to Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung, "This is music-making which reveals much of the inner self: music-making of untamed necessity that goes far beyond that which is merely pleasing to the ear."
The Chicago Tribune wrote: "When presented as poignantly as the Vermeer presents it, the inner core of the piece is left so exposed that both religious and dramatic power radiate from within. The tender loving care that the Vermeer lavishes over every phrase of this unique score is something quite special to behold."
Poland's Ruch Muzyczny summed up, "The Vermeer's interpretation seems so nearly ideal that one can more easily appreciate music as universal harmony."
Members
The Vermeer Quartet's last members were:
- Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
- Mathias Tacke, violin
- Richard Young, viola
- Marc Johnson, cello
Previous members included Pierre Menard, second violin, (1970–1992), followed by Mathias Tacke, (1992–2007). Scott Nikrenz, viola, 1969, followed by Nobuko Imai (until 1978), Jerry Horner (1978–1980), Bernard Zaslav (1980–1985), and Richard Young (1985–2007). Richard Sher, cello (1969–1972), Ron Leonard, 1972, succeeded by Marc Johnson (1973–2007).
Further reading
- Interview with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Richard Young, June 21, 1989