A brief walk to center stage, a sharp bow to a welcoming applause and then the four men of the Euclid Quartet take their positions in front of their musical scores.
The first quick chords of “String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 27” resonated from the four instruments onstage and pierced the audience’s silent anticipation. The melody swelled, filling the high-ceilinged Auer Hall with Edvard Grieg’s classical piece.
The four dashing men behind the instruments, each dressed in pristine black suits, white shirts and black ties, comprise the Euclid Quartet. They graced the Simon Music Center’s second-floor auditorium Thursday evening to play five separate compositions.
Diane Kondrat was seated closer to the front of the auditorium than anyone else, along with a friend.
“Where I live, they don’t have free performances that are world class music,” Kondrat said.
Kondrat said she used to live in Bloomington but now resides in Portland, Ore., and she wishes she had taken more advantage of the free performances put on by the music school.
Pauses between sections of the compositions remained dead silent, which, to a typical audience, would normally signal an applause.
“It’s a great relief to be in an audience with so many highly educated musicians, so I don’t ever have to worry about when to clap,” Kondrat said. “I just have follow their lead.”
The performance was part of a musical exchange program with IU South Bend. Euclid is a quartet-in-residence at the school.
The musicians performed with highly concentrated precision. They seemed even to breathe together as they commenced each phrase in perfect unison.
However, the players were not identical copies. They varied in their facial expressions and movement while they played.
On the far left was violinist Jameson Cooper from the U.K. He played the highest pitches, often the most intense and rapidly executed. Cooper moved his bow and fingers with dynamic accuracy. He has given master classes at several colleges and universities.
Seated just behind and to the right of Cooper was Jacob Murphy. Murphy is a violinist from the United States and a founding member of the quartet. His motions were less vigorous than Cooper’s, he moved his upper body sternly with the ups and downs of the melody. He teaches violin and chamber music at IUSB.
Chinese cellist Si-Yan Darren Li occupied the back-right position. His gaze lifted to the audience more often than the others as he swung his bow across the strings or, in some cases, plucked them. His right foot rocked back and forth during the performance, keeping time: toe, heel, toe, heel. Li is a cello faculty member at IUSB.
Finally, on the far right on the viola was Luis Enrique Vargas from Venezuela. Vargas quivered with energy, sometimes coming off his seat during particularly heightened moments. He teaches viola and chamber music at IUSB.
After the end of the first composition and before intermission, the musicians stood to another applause. Professional, no-teeth smiles and curt nods of their heads, and they were off to wait backstage for their next number.
Juan Acosta was a visiting member of the audience from Webster University in St. Louis. He is in the midst of auditioning for a graduate program at Jacobs School of Music. He was accompanied by a friend from the university, Juan Sallas.
“It’s fantastic, incredible,” Sallas said of the performance. “My ideal Thursday night right here.”
