Mapping out a massive 50th-anniversary tour that included dozens of stops in global cities like Seoul, London, Milan, and Vancouver, the esteemed Takács Quartet honored the Tiny Desk with a special Washington D.C. visit. Cellist András Fejér, the quartet’s sole original member, commands a goldmine of institutional memory, having co-founded the group in communist Hungary and guiding it through a defection to Boulder, Colorado, where the members still teach. This Tiny Desk set served as a brilliant microcosm of the band’s broad-minded programming creed, beginning in the 18th century with pioneer Joseph Haydn, whose false cadences brought humor as the themes were passed around like delicious canapés. They transitioned into a quirky waltz from ‘Flow: III. Quark Scherzo,’ a new piece written specifically for them by Nokuthula Ngwenyama, and finally performed a plucky, shimmering, and magical movement from Maurice Ravel’s 1903 String Quartet in F. As violinist Edward Dusinberre told the audience, “Somehow the medium inspires composers to express themselves in their most daring, imaginative and humorous ways,” and for five decades, the Takács Quartet has been the eloquent voice for those composers.
SET LIST
- Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42: IV. Finale
- Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Flow: III. Quark Scherzo
- Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F major: II. Assez vif – très rythmé