Not that that’s really a problem; ensemble playing is not exactly a sand box. “Playing,” in all senses of the word, is something the quartet already does well. After all, these musicians have played with various orchestras and musicians around the world, in addition to performing with each other for a decade.
It could also be argued that their interpretation of chamber music is a “playful” approach, as they explore both familiar and lesser-known works.
So what is entailed by “Playing Well With Others,” the theme of this second program? Violinists Bettina Mussumeli and Susan Freier, violist Jodi Levitz, and cellist Stephen Harrison are being joined by Anna Kruger on viola and Tanya Tompkins on cello to perform Brahms’ Sextet No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 18. It’s a collaboration that all the musicians are looking forward to. The two guest artists also happen to be friends, and Harrison points out that it’s great for the quartet to be joined by musicians they both know and admire.
Yet part of playing together is learning how to work together. It’s this process of playing well with others, as the program title describes it, that the quartet and their colleagues will explore and explain in the discussions of the music that are a feature of Ives Quartet concerts. It’s a process that every musician and group encounters. No matter how close or talented your friends are, Harrison notes that there’s always a shorthand within a group that outside musicians won’t know. “It’s like having dinner at a family’s house. You don’t always know the family traditions or inside stories, even if you’re an old family friend.” On the other hand, he adds, “There probably won’t be too much shorthand. We’ll be on our best behavior. We’ll set the table nicely, start a fire in the fireplace ...”
The other piece on the program, Beethoven’s Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127, is a good match for the Brahms, though it might be considered a departure for a group that’s known for its performance of mid-19th-century pieces, as well as its strong American style. Still, says Harrison, this is one piece he has adored but has never performed. So he talked the others into it. “Everyone loves the piece, so I twisted some arms and said, ‘It’s time to do it.’”
If you want to join in the fun, look for the foursome and their friends in San José on Jan. 31 and in Palo Alto on Feb. 5.