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PERFORMING ARTS
Jupiter String Quartet
Is anything more daunting than starting a string quartet? The field is crowded, the competition intense, and the bar keeps rising to pitiless heights of virtuosity. But the young members of the Boston-based Jupiter String Quartet have been racking up an impressive string of prizes and displaying -- as they did Tuesday night at the Terrace Theater -- razor-edged ensemble work and imaginative depth beyond their years.
The evening opened with the fourth of Franz Joseph Haydn's Op. 20 "Sun" quartets, in D -- a quietly intelligent work full of Haydn's interplay of wit and elegant pathos. The Jupiter turned in a nuanced reading, displaying an almost organic unity in their playing.
But it was Bartok's String Quartet No. 3 that really showed what this group can do. It's a work of startling power that still sounds audacious after more than 70 years, and the Jupiter tore into it with sweep and almost feral intensity, building a controlled explosion.
It takes a major piece to follow Bartok, so the Jupiter returned after intermission with Beethoven's extraordinary Quartet in B-flat, Op. 130. After a rambling start, things quickly tightened up, and by the harrowing "Grosse Fuge" that closes the work it was clear that the Jupiter was back in full cry -- fearless, relentless and one of the most promising young quartets around.
-- Stephen Brookes
Badly Drawn Boy
Damon Gough's smooth, velvety voice and lulling pop songs made a lovely soundtrack to the 2002 Hugh Grant movie "About a Boy." Unfortunately, Gough (under his moniker Badly Drawn Boy) and his bland music were not in the background but front and center for nearly 2 1/2 hours at the 9:30 club on Tuesday night.
That direct focus highlighted the generic nature of his lyrics, from the sappy songs ("Just say you'll be loving me for an eternity," from "A Journey From A to B") to the mushy ones ("I will take you as you are / Please accept me as I am," from "Above You, Below Me") to the eye-rollingly corny ones ("Love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is alright," from "Magic in the Air"). Gough's warm, tender voice and the lush instrumentation of his four-piece backing band were almost too polished.
A few songs had moments of poignancy. The casual breeziness of "The Time of Times" was enthralling, and "One Last Dance" was sentimental without being too cliched. Most of the rest blended together. In fact, when the band played an extended instrumental interlude during Gough's mid-set smoke break, it wasn't immediately apparent that he was no longer on stage.
-- Catherine P. Lewis
