The Concert Hall at QPAC is a superb venue for performances such as the Takács Quartet, with the majestic Klais Grand Organ with its 6,500 pipes creating a striking visual backdrop. Yet the quartet was never overshadowed by the gleaming pipes or warm wood tones; instead, all eyes and ears were firmly fixed on the stage.
Musica Viva marked its 80th birthday in consummate style, celebrating the collaboration between these distinguished musicians, composer Cathy Milliken, and her sister, AFI Award–winning actor Angie Milliken.
Formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, the Takács Quartet now features Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes on violin, Richard O’Neill on viola, and founding member András Fejér on cello. Associate Artists at London’s Wigmore Hall, they are currently touring Europe, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Florence, Bologna, and Rome. To hear them here in Brisbane was a rare privilege.
The evening opened with Haydn’s String Quartet in G minor, Op. 74 No. 3 ‘The Rider’ (1793). Across its four contrasting movements — from briskly energetic to gently lyrical — each musician’s artistry shone.
Musica Viva’s commission, Sonnet of an Emigrant by Cathy Milliken, set eight of Bertolt Brecht’s poems written during his exile from Germany in WWII. The work captured Brecht’s shifting emotions of shock, longing, urgency, reflection, and cautious optimism, weaving his words seamlessly with the quartet’s music.
Narrator Angie Milliken delivered Brecht’s sonnets in both English and German, her voice rising and falling in perfect counterpoint to the strings. Naming herself the “fifth instrument,” she embraced the intimacy and challenge of matching spoken word to musical intent.
The audience sat in rapt silence, spellbound by the performance. The marriage of poetry and music was so vivid that Brecht’s words felt almost tangible, as though the audience could both hear and see them.
After interval came Beethoven’s String Quartet in C major, Op. 59 No. 3 ‘Razumovsky’ (1808). Its movements ranged from stately and graceful to the exuberant, whirlwind finale (Allegro molto), played with astonishing verve.
Animated and passionate throughout, the Takács Quartet radiated their own delight in the music, and the audience shared in their exhilaration. For seasoned concertgoers and newcomers alike, this was a wonderful evening of world-class music-making. Brava!
To book tickets to Takács Quartet & Angie, please visit https://www.musicaviva.com.au/concert-season/2025/takacs-quartet-with-angie-milliken/.
Photographer: Cameron Jamieson
