Fraternity-Testvériség, 1980 (58. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

1980-10-01 / 4. szám

THE PORTLAND STRING QUARTET IN BUDAPEST

Since its inception in 1969, the Portland String Quartet has been concertizing and steadily building an enthusiastic following both in this country and abroad. The ensemble is in residence and its members are on the faculty at the University of Southern Maine. The four artists are: STEPHEN KECSKE- METHY, 1st violinist (the younger son of the Rev. and Mrs. Joseph Kecskemethy of Portland, Maine) ; RONALD LANTZ, 2nd violinist, of Houston, Texas; JULIA ADAMS, violist, of Greensboro, North Carolina, and PAUL ROSS, of Winnipeg, Canada, cellist.

These fine young musicians with a world-wide reputation of excellence in the course of their European concert-tour — along with six other countries — visited Hungary also and on June 19, 20 and 21, gave three excellent concerts in Budapest. The concerts were held in the newly built and impressive GEODESIC DOME, that housed this year’s “America Now Art Exhibit” in Budapest’s scenic People’s Park, the “Népliget”.

The Quartet played altogether nine quartets, six Classical-European and three Modern American compositions: works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Shostakovich, then Walter Piston, Ruth Crawford Seeger and Charles Edward Ives...

At all the three concerts, given under the auspices of the American Embassy and at the invitation of Harry E. Berghold, Ambassador to Hungary, the four brilliant musicians have delighted select and cultural audiences, elicited enthusiastic comments and many requests for return engagements.

After their intelligent and artistic performances, music-experts, professors, conductors, performers as well as reporters expressed high praises of their brilliant playing. The AMB and P&C reporters wrote the following reviews:

“The Portland String Quartet displayed virtuoso talent stemming partly from their enjoyment of the mastery of their instruments and the way their strings responded to the pulse of their obvious emotions.”

“Their playing was highly inspired, their tone subtly graded. To the listeners, their instruments spoke with intensity that evoked the thrill of the senses. At the drama or the sweetness, they produced brilliant music...”

“The Quartet’s range, the heights and depths they reached in achieving a wide variety of effects in both classical and modern idioms provided ample proof that they are real performers and real artists...”

The embassy’s cultural attaché and public relations officer wrote this report about the Quartet and their Budapest concerts:

“On each concert the Quartet was introduced in Hungarian by a P&C officer. Then followed this short speech also in Hungarian by Stephen Kecskemethy, the first violinist:

Hölgyeim és Uraim:

Mint amerikában született magyar-református papfiú, nagyon boldog vagyok, hogy először életemben eljöhettem szüleim és nagyszüleim földjére, szép Magyarországba. Örülök, hogy az Amerikai Követség ezévi kultúr-programjába beillesztve, vonós-négyesünkkel Budapesten is és még hat más európai fővárosban is szerepelhetünk... Célja ittlétünknek és túránknak az, hogy zenénk világnyelvén keresztül épitsük a népek és nemzetek közötti jóviszonyt és emberbaráti szeretetet.

Szívem szeretetével köszöntőm hát jó szüléimét, édesanyámat és édesapámat, akik Amerikából, ma itt vannak velünk, akik engem megtanítottak magyarul beszélni és még ma is vigyáznak a magyarságomra; Rév. és Mrs. Nagy Lajos jó barátainkat ugyancsak Amerikából; itt élő és jelenlévő rokonainkat és jóbarátainkat és ezt az egész szép, nagy, amerikai és magyar társaságot. Remélem zenénket élvezni fogják!

ISTEN ÁLDD MEG AMERIKÁT! ISTEN — ÁLDD MEG A MAGYART! ÉLJEN AZ AMERIKAI — MAGYAR BARÁTSÁG!

The PSQ is a fine quartet and they are extremely pleasant to work with. We would like to attempt to arrange something for their return.” (GME)

In this spirit and with this send-off, the Portland String Quartet left Budapest on June 23, 1980 and continued their European concert tour in Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, England, Germany and Greece in the hope, that through their music they can really be ambassadors of peace and goodwill!

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