Word: metamorphosen
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...group began as a collection of highly skilled string players primarily from Harvard and the New England Conservatory who, in their first concert, succeeded to a great extent in playing cohesively. Last Friday, they reached a higher level of unity--Metamorphosen, at times, took on the character of a single solo instrument...
...Metamorphosen dove into the "Serenade" with soloistic vigor, each violinist swelling through the lightly pitching opening phrases. Startlingly, all of their emotive swellings were perfectly choreographed and executed. As a result, the group brought far more levity and energy to the "Serenade" than any string section from a major orchestra could. For example, the recent recording by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's strings and Semyon Bychkov stands in stark contrast to Metamorphosen's performance...
...group's transformation into a single, energetic organ occurred less frequently in Dvorak's "Serenade for Strings," a bastion of the string repertoire and the oddly-placed anchor of the program's first half. In the first movement, Metamorphosen produced impeccable entrances in the strings' higher octaves and gave more emotional weight to the first two themes than they usually receive. The tempo for this Moderato was definitely stately but never too slow...
...third movement, a Scherzo, Metamorphosen greeted the audience with another refreshing change for the Dvorak--the weightless effervescence that only a small group can create. The music seemed to reside in an area several feet above the players' heads and filtered out to the audience in sparkling strands...
...became appropriately subdued and careful throughout the delicate contours of the Larghetto. His conducting finally matched the group's intensity. In the Finale, Metamorphosen exercised a wondrous dynamic range with flawless control. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the tempi; the most glaring discrepancy occurred as the group handily beat Yoo to the recapitulation of the first movement's main theme...