Two things are absent from classical music these days: humor and young people.
Fortunately, one of those was present Sunday afternoon at the Mondavi Center when the Alexander String Quartet began its Beethoven quartet cycle.
Big surprise – it was humor. That came by way of witty music historian Robert Greenberg, who laid bare the era and personality of one of classical music's most mercurial figures.
It was at the first of two concerts that the quartet would perform Sunday. During the first concert, Greenberg introduced and provided crucial and easy-to-digest context for two of Beethoven's Op. 18 string quartets, the Quartet No. 3 in D major and the Quartet No. 1 in F major. But this was no high and dry lecture by an ivory tower musicologist.
Greenberg dissected some basic facets of each quartet, namely the influence of Mozart and Haydn, and how Beethoven revolutionized the quartet form.
The members of the Alexander String Quartet performed segments of each quartet during Greenberg's talk and then performed each quartet in its entirety. The evening performance was a traditional performance, sans Greenberg.
But all told, there was something troubling about the afternoon concert.
And it had nothing to do with the music. The group performed the quartets with their trademark robust tone and clarity. That was never in question.
The problem was that the sold-out Studio Theater, which holds more than 220 patrons, had fewer than 15 young people in attendance.
True, Greenberg's observations and references are best digested by boomers and older folk. But his energy and wit are enough to spark the interest of even the most musically disaffected middle- schooler.
And it is the disaffected that stood to gain the most from this educational concert. If ever there is a time for a tasty introduction to Beethoven, it's when you're young.
The result was the feeling that the Mondavi has not been as active as it could be in getting young audiences to attend concerts from which they have much to gain.
While it is true that the Mondavi offers affordable student ticket pricing, it is unclear how much effort is put into inspiring young people, or educational institutions, to actually buy the tickets.
This is no small matter since the center is committed to presenting the complete Beethoven quartet cycle with the Alexander String Quartet. That effort will run through 2010.
Call Bee arts critic Edward Ortiz, (916) 321-1071.
