Like Polished Wood

The rich sounds of the Avalon String Quartet debut at Princeton University’s Summer Concert Series July 9.

By: Susan Van Dongen

The Avalon String Quartet: From left, Blaise Megnière, violin; Marie Wang, violin; Sumire Kudo, cello; Che-Yen Chen, viola.

   Studying the photos of the Avalon String Quartet makes you think of that hair-care commercial back in the ’80s, with the slogan "Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful."
   The four members of the quartet range in age from 24-31 and are, indeed, handsome people.
   Violinist Blaise Megnière, 29, shrugs off the compliments on the group’s looks, but acknowledges that attractiveness has become more of a commodity in classical music.
   "People sometimes have a tendency to listen with their eyes," he admits wistfully, in a warm Quebecois accent. He is on holiday with Marie Wang, the other violinist in the quartet — who also happens to be his wife — at her family’s home in Vancouver, British Columbia.
   Obviously, their blessings go way beyond surface charms. More importantly, the members of the Avalon String Quartet are energetic, gifted musicians whose talents have earned raves across the country and around the world. The New York Times calls them "coltish, with strong moves" and "eager, full of vim and ideas, following one another with enthusiasm." The Chicago Tribune writes that their sound is "as rich as polished wood." The late Isaac Stern simply described the Avalon String Quartet as "a musical treasure, so rarely found."
   The Avalon String Quartet comes to Central Jersey July 9 as part of Princeton University’s Summer Concerts, with a program including works by Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart. The series continues July 16, with a performance by the Shanghai String Quartet, and concludes July 30 with the Ludwig Quartet. The concerts are free and held at Richardson Auditorium.
   The July 9 concert marks the Avalon Quartet’s debut in Princeton. Afterward, they’ll be gearing up for a busy jaunt through Europe, performing at the Emiglia Romagna Festival in Italy and in Slovenia at the Ljubljana Festival — more firsts for the group.
   A year in the life of the quartet has included appearances in New York for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall as well as the ensemble’s Washington, D.C., debut at the Library of Congress. Last year also saw the release of Dawn to Dusk, the Avalon Quartet’s first CD on the Channel Classics label. In addition, they served as Graduate Quartet in Residence at the Juilliard School for Music for 2001-2002.
   All this work has brought them in close contact with some of the world’s most renowned string masters, including Mr. Stern, Jaime Laredo and Henry Meyer, experiences Mr. Megnière says were more valuable than any formal schooling.
   "That’s what has really helped us," he says. "We’ve played for many different older artists, and it’s the only way to really learn, especially working within a quartet, which requires a special kind of skill. There’s so much of a need to interact, so we need the experience. Our work with the Vermeer, Emerson and Juilliard quartets has also been very helpful."
   Officially founded by Mr. Megnière and Ms. Wang in Cleveland, the quartet evolved into a more conventional group in 1995 at Yale University’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. The personnel has fluctuated several times, but about a year ago finally settled on Mr. Megnière and Ms. Wang on violin, Che-Yen Chen on viola and Sumire Kudo on cello.
   "We feel wonderful in this formation," Mr. Megnière says. "A group situation doesn’t always work but this time it did. Our personalities blend very well and it felt like our overall approach was similar. You have to go by the feeling sometimes."
   Although the program at Princeton features some of music’s best-known classical masters, the Avalon String Quartet commissions contemporary composers, such as R. Murray Schafer and Augusta Read Thomas.
   "We like to do a variety of repertoire within our programs," Mr. Megnière says. "We try to include at least one contemporary work in the program — I think it is essential to keep music alive. We recently commissioned a work by David Macbride, which has been a great experience. There’s nothing like playing a piece the first time, something that has just been written for you. You feel honored because your playing will (shape) how the piece will be known in the future."
   One of the quartet’s signatures is the energy they put into working alongside composers to coax the commissioned works into a perfected final form.
   "We are very much involved in the creative process, especially with Augusta Read Thomas," Mr. Megnière says. "With this one composition of hers, she started out by just giving us fragments and asking for our comments and ideas. She was curious to hear what we thought, and we made a lot of changes to the score. We felt like we were really sharing in the creative process.
   "It hasn’t worked that way with all of the commissioned works — every composer is different. Some won’t ask for input, they’ll make their own corrections. A work of music is nothing unless it’s being performed, and we’re contributing a lot to the creative process by performing it. So it makes sense to have input. We think we’ve made some things more effective in performance and we’ve improved the notation on the page, which will benefit future quartets."
   Perhaps the greatest lesson in teamwork comes from being married to one of his fellow quartet members. To some, living, working, traveling and creating with your spouse might seem stifling, and Mr. Megnière says many musical couples hesitate to play together.
   "At first, Marie and I didn’t want to either," he says. "We were afraid of what might happen. But we found that we really loved it, and it has actually made our relationship much more interesting and rich. We have a very close relationship. We do everything together, including sharing advice on each other’s playing. That could be hard to take in certain cases, but for us it works very well."
The Avalon String Quartet performs at Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, July 9, 8 p.m. The series also includes the Shanghai Quartet, July 16, 8 p.m. and the Ludwig Quartet, July 30, 8 p.m. Tickets are free, on a first-come/first-served basis at the Richardson box office beginning at 6 p.m. the night of the concert. For information, call (609) 631-7884 or e-mail pusummerconcerts@aol.com