By Asta Kraskouskas
Florida Keys Concert Association (FLKCA) started its second half of the season with the Rastrelli Cello Quartet. The quartet captured music lovers’ attention with their incredible performance and vibrant personalities.
The quartet delivered two consecutive concerts, one sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Wright at Marathon’s High School on Feb. 14 and the other sponsored by Ocean Sotheby’s International Realty at Coral Shores High School on Feb. 15. The four cellists not only perfectly executed their program, but also warmed the hearts of the listeners with their enthusiasm and humor.
The Rastrelli Cello Quartet originated in St. Petersburg, Russia. Their bond to the city is manifested in the name of the quartet. Bartholomeo Rastrelli was the 18th century architect of a few prominent historical buildings in St. Petersburg. The architect shaped the image of the city like nowhere else in northern Russia. With time, the cellists moved to Germany where they now reside.
Kira Kraftzoff, artistic director and founder of the Rastrelli Cello Quartet, joked about the idea of a four cello quartet. In his words, there is a German joke about a string quartet. What is a string quartet? There are good violins, bad violins, four violins and hateful violins. Kiro, instead, came up with an idea of four cellos. Before he had started to create a quartet, Kiro heard skeptics ask, “Who is going to listen to four cellos? Every string quartet has a leading violin. Cello is just a background instrument.”
Twenty years later, the Rastrelli travels around the world and gets well-deserved recognition. Sergio Drabkin is one of the quartet’s founding members and one of four cellists arranging music for the quartet. He arranged and refined many works of various musical styles. In this concert the quartet played Sergio arrangements of Piotr Tchaikovsky, Edvard Grieg, Johannes Brahms, Giacomo Puccini, Sergei Rachmaninoff, George Gershwin and other composers. For the encore, the quartet played the Beatles’ “Michelle.”
The quartet ended its concert with the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” Kira, the founder of the Rastrelli Quartet, said, “You are the Americans. We are the Russians. No matter difference, we can sing together. Just imagine, if the leaders of the world would sing a song together, the world would be different the very next day.” The audience sang the song in unison with the quartet.
“I loved every concert this season. I love to listen to classic and jazz,” said Marlisa Gerrett of Marathon, a five-year season ticket holder. “It comforts me, like a comfort food. My mother is a Russian. The quartet performers are passionate about what they are doing. Their music has very complex emotions. It’s inspiring.”
