Review: Miró Quartet wows Beethoven Festival crowd
By: Terry Rindfleisch

It was just about a perfect concert for the Minnesota Beethoven Festival.

One of America’s best string quartets playing three Beethoven string quartets.

The Miró Quartet dazzled a crowd Thursday night with marvelous musicianship, technical virtuosity and precise ensemble work. This string quartet is dynamic, passionate and genuine in its interpretation of Beethoven’s quartets.

It was one of the best nights of quartet music I have had the pleasure to see in more than three decades. And, of course, the best way to reward an appreciative crowd is to play a slow, beautiful movement from another Beethoven work.

The great climax in the concert came with Beethoven’s 13th string quartet with the five “Grosse Fuge” movement added to the work. That movement was part of the original quartet, but was later published as a separate piece.

The movement was a delightful addition, showing off Miró’s mastery of the complicated tempo shifts and lovely lyricism. This Beethoven quartet is a true masterpiece, and Miró performed it with joy and bright intensity.

Miró also played Beethoven’s 11th and F major string quartets. What stood out with both quartets was Miró’s freshness and exuberance with a well-balanced sound, intonation and pretty phrasing.

The concert experience was sensational, but still the squeaky seats in St. Cecilia Theatre at Cotter High School pose a problem for intimate performances. The seats are uncomfortable and you are afraid to move an inch because you don’t want to ruin a musical moment.

It’s time to re-evaluate that venue.

But still, this has been a great Minnesota Beethoven Festival, and so far Yo-Yo Ma and the Miró Quartet have been its stars.

To read the entire review, please click here.