Performers

"Pedigrees say a lot. Three of the four members have been playing together since 1965 (the newcomer is the violist). All four studied first in the Lithuanian capital, then in Moscow – where the first violinist, Audrone Vainiunaite, worked with David Oistrakh (1908–1974), one of the great Russian violinists of this century.

 

Vainiunaite was an inspired leader. She played with a warmth and lightness that, had she not been holed up in Lithuania for so long, would have chased the Itzhak Perlmans of the Western world back into practice room.

 

In the Schulhoff pieces, particularly Alla Tango Milonga, she played as if on fire. In quiet playing, she had a control few violinists achieve. Most recede into tentativeness at quiet dynamics, but she always maintained a firm sound. (Tuning of high pitches was erratic, though.)

 

Clearly, the Vilnius’ career was thwarted by living in a country long ruled by Russia. That political reality could explain that major distraction in the recital."

 

Charles Ward, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 1, 1996

 

“The group’s ensemble is virtually flawless... Their sound is quite extraordinary – rich like fine chocolate whose taste dominates the senses but never cloys. There is also intangible oneness that eludes analysis and that, as with the best marriages, is the hallmark of only the most mature and mutually nourishing relationships.”

The Boston Globe, 1997

 

"Mikalojus Ciurlionis may not be a household name in the United States, but this composer and painter, who died in 1911, is a legendary figure in Lithuania. This his string quartet was enthusiastically received when the Vilnius String Quartet offered it as the opener to their sold-out concert, sponsored by the Lithuanian-American Community, at Weill Hall on Sunday afternoon.

(…)

The quartet was a worthy opener to an unusual and delightful program of three contrasting works. The latest of these, Erwin Schulhoff’s 1924 “Five Pieces for String Quartet,” is an exuberant bouquet of different styles, cartoonlike in its humor, vigorous in its ability.

 

The earliest, Chausson’s 1889–91 Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Quartet, brought in Piotr Janowski, a violinist with a sometimes grainy tone and a wide vibrato, and Golda Vainberg-Tatz, a pianist with a wonderful firm, clear touch. Pretty but long-winded, this piece is really a kind of trio, bringing out one of the Vilnius’s strengths: fine ensemble playing.

 

The four instruments blended so much as to make one sometimes wish for firmer definition, especially from the first violin (at times a little flat), and especially in the Ciurlionis, of which the edges seemed smoothed out and the fortes yearned for even more authority."

 

Anne Midgette, “A Lithuanian Legend’s Century-Old Quartet, or Most of It,” The New York Times, January 7, 2003

 

"But leave it to Beethoven to bring out the Vilnius’ salient qualities. <...> The Vilnius ensemble emphasized the myriad subtleties that await investigation but aren’t always noted, while maintaining a sure sense of motion and structure.

 

In the hushed pages of the slow movement, the players eschewed vibrato before moving seamlessly into the minuet.

 

At all times, the playing was vividly etched, with Vainiunaite’s first violin impeccable in phrasing and leadership and her colleagues collaborating with a unity achieved only after years of fine seasoning."

 

Donald Rosenberg, "Lithuanian quartet superb in eclectic program," Plain Dealer, 2004

 

On this Delos disc coupling Vainberg's Piano Quintet from 1944 with his String Quartets No. 11 and No. 13 from 1966 and 1977, the Vilnius String Quartet and pianist Golda Vainberg-Tatz tear into the music with unreserved enthusiasm, dynamics that push the boundaries of their sound, and tempos that sometimes take them to the limits of their endurance. Delos' digital sound is distant and reverberant.

 

James Leonard, Rovi (answers.com)