Tormented soul seems to be the theme for the Goldner Quartet’s program at Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday 14th of November. The first piece of the night was Carl Vine’s String Quartet No.4 (2004). Its bleakness is haunting and in later parts it is almost masochistically violent. It inflicts the listeners with endless melancholy and sinking void. This lingering despair is presented against the moving force of varied rhythm. I imagined being in a car in a gloomy mood looking at the changing scenery. Goldner Quartet sensitively delivered this cinematic quality. Julian Smiles’ cello was sublime.

Before the audience recovered from the sadness of Carl Vine’s piece, Frank Bridge’s String Quartet No.4 (1937), written four years before his death, opened with uneasy notes, immediately reminding us of the grim mood of Alban Berg’s music. The viola’s dark tone matches the mood.

A heavily layered piece like this could easily lose its balance, but not under Goldner Quartet’s masterful control. In the first movement there is a section where the cello played a paternal role footed strongly in the structure with three strings hovering over with nervous lines. A Bartok-flavoured pizzicato was elegant and robust. The final movement was swirling fireworks with all four strings working with the changing moods and dynamics at full power, ending unexpectedly with a resilient energy. Goldner Quartet’s rendering of this piece was superbly refined and controlled but not clinical.
The final piece was Johannes Brahms’ String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1 (1873). Brahms’ music is such an emotional whirlpool. I often feel I’m thrown around by its intensity. This is his first quartet he wrote at the age of 40 after destroying 20 or so pieces. It is said that self-critical Brahms couldn’t have beared being compared with the monstrous Beethoven’s quartets.

It started with building tension and after its release the expressive melody line by the first violin takes over. The second movement’s breathtakingly beautiful entry was followed by a poignant interplay between the four. Rather slower in tempo, the third movement emphasised the brilliance of Dene Olding’s singing tone, pulsing with sorrows and pleasures. It was so divine that I was stunned. Goldner’s sonority was crisp clear and deep - their interpretation was a precisely balanced yet passionate one.
Goldner Quartet’s recordings was awarded the Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine and BBC Music Magazine Disc of Month. It was such a shame the hall wasn’t full since it was an incredibly profound performance by a world-class quartet, conveying the different spectrum of lyricism of the three composers.