JACK Quartet; the go-to quartet for contemporary music

Jack Quartet’s performance of a string quartet composed by Helmut lachenmann brings out the best of the group and what they stand for, which is contemporary music performance. The pieces for this string quartet were shown on Live from Columbia which is an online viewing of performances that are filmed in the Lantern – a venue of Columbia University’s Manhattanville campus. The concerts are a digital initiative of Miller Theatre and are co-presented with Columbia University School of the Arts. The members of the Jack Quartet are: Christopher Otto (violin), Austin Wulliman (violin), John Richards (viola) and Jay Campbell (cello). The first piece of the 38-minute live concert is called “Grido”, followed by two solo pieces which explore nontraditional techniques and sounds. Their performance of the pieces takes a very contemporary approach and that really showcases their classical contemporary music skills. Their contemporary skills are noticeable through their methods of controlling the sounds they play in relation to each other and the environment and the building that they are performing the pieces in. Expressive and impactful gestures seem to be very improvised and dissonance and complex rhythms are the important elements in leading the piece to the contemporary state that it is meant to be going into. In this essay we will be diving deeper into some of the techniques they use throughout their performance of Lachenmann’s pieces that truly make them the go-to quartet for contemporary music.

One of the first things that is noticeable when listening to the players and watching them in the Miller Theatre is the space they are in. The four players seem to have their own way of manipulating the sounds that are bounced by the space they are playing in. Some specific bowing gestures create a resonance in the hall that sometimes change the pitch or timbre of the initial sounds. The players somehow pick up on those reflections and re-orient themselves in a way that makes it seem like those gestural and acoustic aftereffects are involved in the piece. Those kinds of ways to resolve that effect and keep it from blurring the initial gestures, are what makes the quartet a brilliant contemporary group. Afterall, that is what contemporary music is all about. According to Berklee College of Music, contemporary music has more to do with “an approach to music than it does with any particular type of music” (Mirisola), which is what makes the Jack Quartet stand out in contemporary music performance. The approach to the music played is very hands on and things happen for them in the moment. They are intimate with the piece and it shows that they harness the qualities of what the Washington Post calls the “go-to quartet for contemporary music” when they write about the Jack quartet.

The four players start off with high pitched sounds that play together to form a line. A line defined by a masterful pitch control from all players, but also in terms of dynamics, there is a common direction they are trying to go into. Dissonant harmonies and complex rhythms are suddenly introduced which slightly disorient the initial shape and coherence of the music. We are slowly eased into a more dynamically richer sounding texture with fluctuations of moods through perfect flows. Since the “two other solo pieces by Lachenmann explore nontraditional techniques and sounds” (Miller Theatre), we get the opportunity to experience the “explosive virtuosity” (Boston Globe) of the group and sort of expect the unexpected to happen. Each instrument is different in its own way so the body can give the instruments different timbres. But more importantly is the way the players bounce of the sounds from each other. They seem to know exactly when to add phrases and finish each other’s sentences in a musical way with techniques not limited to adding high- and low-pitched phrases, adding underlying whispery or hollow textures and rhythmic murmurs. 

The players each have their distinctive character in the piece. Even though all of them have their own separate line and story to tell they can create coherence throughout the themes. They seem to follow one line but circle and rotate around that line with phrases and techniques that are so dense and rich in texture that all pathways following that one line become a thick braided cord. It is a thick braided cord in that the pieces they play are noticeably separable but still have a main purpose which is to get to a state and create the circumstances where it iss necessary to add sudden dissonance. By following each other in this way they are bringing the piece’s charm to the foreground. The composition itself seems to be very demanding of the players but they performed it in a way that directs the focus to the actual music. The performance gives the impression that it is very well rehearsed, but there are sections that seem orchestrated in a way that depends on the room. The way the room will respond after a sound triggers the next sounds from the players. The mood of the piece seems to be very suspenseful most of the time, but deeper listening drags you into a world that consists of constant push and pull from one feeling into another. Not at all in the way that it disorients the listener but in a way you understand it because of the dynamic and constant fluctuations in one’s own mind and emotional interpretation of those elongated notes sounds.

Jack Quartet’s use of extended techniques, sharp ears for their environment and focused coordination with each other really shows their true skills. These pieces really require them to be present and diligent and their willingness to do so is very apparent through their expressive playing style. They seem to be open to unpredictability and unexpected needs for improvisation. They understand their environment and know exactly how to deal with sounds that bounce off from the space. Introductions of dissonant chords and complex rhythms are very well timed and coordinated and each player knows exactly what to put in and where to follow and lead each other towards suspenseful or heightened states. The techniques they use and the control they have over their instruments bring out the best as a group that performs contemporary music.

 

 

Works cited

Mirisola, John. “What Is Contemporary Music?” Berklee, 13 Sept. 2019, www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/what-contemporary-music.

“JACK Quartet.” University of Chicago Presents, The University of Chicago, 16 Apr. 2021, chicagopresents.uchicago.edu/people/jack-quartet.

“JACK Quartet.” Colbert Artists Management, Mar. 2019, colbertartists.com/artists/jack-quartet/.

“Quartet.” JACK Quartet, jackquartet.com/quartet.

MillerTheatreCU, director. JACK Quartet Performs Lachenmann's Grido | Live from Columbia. YouTube, YouTube, 16 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU0gcbA3oeU.