String Quartet, Hulbert a treat

Three members of the Spokane String Quartet and guest pianist Duane Hulbert treated a lamentably sparse audience Sunday at The Met to two rarely staged works, which were performed in rare style.

Hulbert teaches on the music faculty at the University of Puget Sound, but there was nothing academic about the vigor and variety he brought to his performance of J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations – a famous work whose length and difficulty make for infrequent concert performances.

Hulbert gave the audience a guide through some of the work’s complexities in a brief, witty introduction. In the 30 variations that make up this set, Bach explores extreme compositional ingenuity and demands virtuoso keyboard skills. Hulbert commanded both the intellectual and technical resources that made the work sing and dance.

I was especially impressed with delicate clarity he brought to sections such as the gigue of Variation 7 and arietta of Variation 13. The poise and accuracy with which Hulbert flew through Bach’s rapid cross-hand duets scattered through the variations was equally imposing, to say nothing of the chain of trills in Variation 28 and the barrage of alternating chords in Variation 29.

After intermission, Hulbert returned with violinist Kelly Farris, violist Tana Bland and cellist Helen Byrne to play Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 2. This work is something of the neglected stepchild of Brahms’ three piano quartets. Like the “Goldberg,” this quartet is long, difficult and filled with interpretive challenges. But Sunday’s performance left no doubt that this seldomly performed work is well-worth hearing and rehearing.

I expected that the three players from the Spokane String Quartet would play responsively together as they always do these days. The duets that Brahms gives to pairs of the string players were beautifully matched. What was something of a surprise was just how at home Hulbert seemed to be in the ensemble. Pianists often sound like concerto soloists when they are guests visiting an established ensemble.

The four players met the big challenge of this work, something Brahms’ violinist friend Joseph Joachim called “ambiguous passion.” Just as you think Brahms has settled into a groove of genial Viennese conversation, something wild – a section flowing with hot gypsy blood – will explode. Sunday’s performers seemed at home in both moods.