Violist Christine Vlajk remembers a few years back when the string quartet she performs with played a very large venue in the far reaches of China.
During the recital, many of the 3,000 audience-goers snapped photos of the chamber musicians and talked on their cellphones. "They didn't have the etiquette that we have here," she said with a laugh, "but it was an interesting experience nevertheless."
Since she joined the Penderecki String Quartet 14 years ago, Vlajk, a Denver, Colo., native, has toured around the world with fellow members Jeremy Bell (violin) of Toronto, Jacob Braun (cello) of Boston and Jerzy Kaplanek (violin), the only original musician in the award-winning quartet that was formed 25 years ago in Poland.
But besides touring regularly - including a recent concert at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall - Penderecki has been active in its "down time" as the quartet-in-residence at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. There, it has built a prestigious music program attracting top-notch emerging and international artists.
Vlajk said she loves to pass on her knowledge to the students and to share the vast catalogue available for string quartets - from Bach to Brahms, Bartók to Ligeti and Frank Zappa to John Oswald.
Asked how the quartet challenges itself musically, Vlajk said she and her colleagues learn every day from the "rich and complex repertoire that's out there. It's fraught with stuff to be discovered."
As for its Coquitlam show next week, the quartet will perform three pieces: Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 18 No. 2; Norbert Palej's String Quartet ("a 20-minute varied, intense and incredibly beautiful number," Vlajk said); and Claude Debussy's String Quartet in G-minor Opus 10 - the only quartet he composed.
"We like to do Classical, contemporary and Romantic because it's a nice, balanced program," she said.
Tickets at $30/$25/$15/$10 for the Penderecki String Quartet performance on Feb. 26 are available by calling the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam) or visiting www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca. The event is presented as part of the Windsor Plywood Spectacular Music BC Concert Series, a project of MusicFest Vancouver.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
