The Aris Quartett’s delightful concert launched
Friends of Chamber Music’s 78th season
on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
The Aris Quartett from Germany, with guest first violinist Stephen Waarts from the Netherlands, played their first Vancouver concert, a delight-filled performance, to launch the Friends of Chamber Music’s 78th season. While this was the first Vancouver concert for the Aris Quartett, Stephen Waarts had played here before for the VRS.
The musicians, with the two violinists, Mr. Waarts and Noémi Zipperling, and violist Caspar Vinzens standing, began the evening with the “Sunrise”, Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat major, Opus 76 No 4. The nickname may be incongruous, with the sun setting outside as the music started, but the music-making washed away that joke. From the outset we could hear the work that the quartet members have done together since forming the group in their teens. Also apparent was their shared affinity for working with their guest first violinist. Mr. Waarts matched seamlessly with their ensemble, with terrific balance and blend, as well as bringing his own beauty of tone and could dig in with strength when called for in the music. Their Haydn was light and elegant, then by turns pleasingly earthy and muscular in spots, beautifully capturing the humour in some phrases. The sound was both spontaneous and completely assured.
Before moving into Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No 1 in F-flat major, Opus 12, cellist Lukas Sieber, seated on a riser, gave us some context in remarks from the stage. He told the audience that the shy, 19-year-old Mendelssohn had just experienced some early heartbreak – he was so shy that the young woman who was the object of his affections did not know about it. This delightful, gentle music was given touches of whispered nuance and pastoral grace, with a sense of muscularity that appeared when required by the score.
After the break, the Aris Quartett began to illustrate the construction of Beethoven’s String Quartet No 7 in F major, Opus 59 No 1 “Razumovsky”. A short way into this finely crafted and energetic first movement, first violinist Stephen Waarts lost his grip on his bow at the end of an energetic phrase. The bow hit the floor and the music stopped. Audience members gasped. But no harm, no foul. With a grin, he picked up the bow, the group took a breath and restarted the music from a few measures back. The rest of the first movement was exuberant and muscular, with a sonic transparency that helped us hear the brilliance of the composer’s structure.
While the whole evening’s performance was an outstanding example of the artists feeling the excitement of the audience and responding with their own heightened energy, it was during the slow third movement of Beethoven’s quartet that we experienced a marvel of subtlety and nuance from the artists. Some phrases had a keening quality while others felt whispered – and yet were clearly audible to the back of the concert hall. We all held our breath for certain gestures. And the finale that started without pause was rousing enough that the musicians received a prolonged standing ovation at the end.
After several curtain calls, they returned for an encore, choosing one of the warm and calm song transcriptions for string quartet that Antonín Dvořák made from his own cycle, “Cypresses”. On the afterglow of those warm melodies, and a further ovation, we all left the Vancouver Playhouse feeling warm even in the cool, clear fall air. This was a delightful start to the Friends 2025-2026 season.
It was a great way to begin a season of concerts dedicated to the memory of the late Eric Wilson, distinguished long-serving volunteer board member for the Friends, who booked the artists for this season during the months of his 97th and final year.
We look forward to continuing this memorial celebration of Mr. Wilson with the second concert on Tuesday, October 28, when we welcome the Jasper String Quartet playing more music by Haydn, as well as Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001), and Debussy’s only string quartet. Join us that evening for more great live music.
