ARTICLE: Pianist Garrick Ohlsson rejoins Poland’s Apollon Musagète Quartet after scuttled 2020 tour

Two years later, the Apollon Musagète Quartet asked to feature Ohlsson on its U.S. tour, which stops SaturdayOct. 8 at the La Jolla Music Society’s Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

What does Ohlsson — who has played with such prestigious quartets as Cleveland, Emerson and Takacs – look for in a group?

“First of all, the quality of playing of the individuals and the ensemble,” said the pianist, speaking from Oklahoma City, where he was playing that night with the philharmonic.

“I also look for the musical intensity and seriousness with which they work, and then their flair in performance. I felt that Apollon Musagète crossed the footlight. It is very exciting to make music with this wonderful group.”

Established in 2006, the quartet will perform movements here from Bach’s The Art of Fugue and Schubert’s String Quartet in B-flat Major. Ohlsson will join them to play Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet in G Minor.

“I love the work and it ties in with the Bach piece,” Ohlsson said. “Shostakovich was preoccupied not only with Bach and counterpoint but also included a couple of fugues. There is a fugue in the second movement which is an extremely contrapuntally written piece with enormous emotional range.

“Shostakovich goes from the gloomiest to the most boisterous vulgarities. That’s typical of him. He runs a huge gamut of emotional and musical styles.”

Home sweet home

For a musician who spends much of his time touring, the pandemic restrictions forced Ohlsson into an unplanned and unwanted temporary retirement.

He performed professional streamed concerts at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he teaches piano. But he had no physical audience for 15 months — a first in his in 50-year-plus career.

“It wasn’t easy although now that we’re over the lockdown, there were many things to like about it,” he said. “Being home for that long, I saw that I really liked being home. That was very sweet.

“My career was down to one virtual concert a month, but streaming was a lifesaver for me. Most performing artists are adrenalin junkies. We love the extra jolt that playing concerts gives you.”

Ohlsson’s streamed concerts were filmed entirely live, never edited.

“When you go to hear the San Diego Symphony,” he explained, with a chuckle, “if they start at 8 o’clock, they don’t stop after four minutes and say: ‘That wasn’t good, let’s try it again’.”

Another positive aspect of the pandemic restrictions was being home with his husband, historic preservationist Robert Guter.

“It turned out marvelously, I’m happy to say,” Ohlsson said. “I wasn’t really worried because we have been together for so long. We just passed our 39th year together, so we’re pretty boring!”

Wood is a freelance writer.