GEORGE NEWS - Not even a decidedly chilly afternoon could stop the elegant and talented quartet, Take Four, from thrilling a large and warmly clad audience in the Dutch Reformed Mother Church on Sunday.

The quartet comprises the violinist Zanta Hofmeyr, Jeanne-Louise Moolman (viola), Susan Mouton (cello) and pianist Elna van der Merwe. There were only two works on the programme: the quartets of Johannes Brahms and Antonin Dvorak.

Brahms wrote his Quartet in G minor at a relatively young age with Clara Schumann as the pianist. Take Four announced the four-note theme decisively and then proceeded to chase it around between them for the rest of the movement. The lyrical intermezzo gave each instrument a chance to shine and was followed by a slow andante containing a rhythmic centre section that the instrumentalists played crisply and clearly. 

The last movement, Rondo alla Zingarese, was an absolute joy and the musicians clearly enjoyed playing the Hungarian dances with their changing rhythms. They ended with a flourish and the audience rewarded them with well-deserved thunderous applause.

Dvorak was influenced by Brahms and his Quartet in E flat major also opens with a four-note theme that runs throughout the movement. 

The second movement gave the cello a chance to show off and Mouton gets a wonderful, sonorous tone from her instrument. This movement ended with a gentle and serene section unfortunately ruined by the compulsive clappers who still persist in interrupting a work after every movement. 

After a gentle waltz with a dazzling middle section, the work ended with an energetic rondo made up from folk dances and a concluding flourish. This brought the audience to their feet for a standing ovation.

This quartet showed an immense cohesiveness and, for a change, the piano did not dominate the strings. The players obviously enjoy playing together and I hope they return to visit us at regular intervals. 

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