#51: ‘Make time’ but retain movement

Section 7: Antonin Dvořák – String Quartet Op.51, ii: Dumka

An important thread running through this blog is that there are many limitations to the paradigm of separate parameters as a way of understanding performance. Another quality that is manifestly resistant to that model is an ability of the Czech Quartet players that we experienced as ‘making time’ — specifically, having space for gestural and imaginative content to be clearly projected, yet while retaining the feeling of forward motion.

This was brought into stark relief by comparing the historic recordings with our versions. Once we became aware of this, their aptitude seemed practically magical. It may not be a coincidence that similar kinds of skills are characteristic of expert practice in many other domains, including sport. Part of this magical impression was that this sensation of ‘having time’ was entirely commensurate with rushing — on both a ‘local’ and a ‘structural’ scale. It is difficult to overstate the positive impact this observation had on our understanding of the subtleties of their collective timing. Listen again to the full movement above with this in mind and see if you agree…