|
Site review by Geohominid April 1, 2008
|
Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
This is the first of a new series within BeArtTon's 'The Pearls of Polish Music' strand. Having much enjoyed my first encounter of Poland's Royal Quartet in Zarebsky's Piano Quintet (The Pearls of Polish Music - Zarebski), I was looking forward to hearing them in their native medium. They play three quartets which illustrate the development of the form in Poland during the last two and a half centuries. The quartets have a common thread in that they all arise from native folk-song in one way or another.
Stanislaw Moniuzko (1819-1872), previously unknown to me, has been dubbed the Father of Polish Opera. Amongst his prolific compositions are operas, symphonic and choral works and piano pieces, but only two string quartets. The first quartet (1839) was composed during his studies in Berlin, and follows the traditional classic four movement structure in a Romantic vein. Although he makes no direct quotations of folk melodies, their influence is clear. This is an engaging and light-hearted work, despite its minor key, and I wish he had written more quartets. I was very intrigued by the dotted-rhythm first subject in the first movement, which bears a striking resemblance to the second part of the first subject in Chopin's E minor piano concerto (1828-30) - a common folk tune origin?
In the early C20th, the lead was taken in the Young Poland composer's group by Karel Szymanowski (1882-1937), represented here by his second quartet. This is an impressive three-movement work, again based on folk idioms which are simplified and abstracted. It offers the Royal Quartet a formidable array of string textures to relish, from rapid passages on the bridge and dissonant double-stopping to stratospheric melodic strands. They play with consummate technical assurance and commitment, achieving a Berg-like intensity, and cope with the more aggressive sections with great depth of tone.
Grazyna Bacewicz is only the second female Polish composer to reach international fame. Her fourth quartet, also in three movements, is closely concerned with the development of two lyrical folk-like tunes, displayed in an even wider range of unusual string textures, often ravishing to the ear. Again, the Royal Quartet are completely at home in her style, playing with great energy and deep concentration, at times almost sounding like a full string orchestra.
BeArtTon's studio recording is exemplary, especially in 5.0, producing a rich and detailed image of the quartet, including one or two sniffs from the leader just before great attacks. The booklet contains an informative essay on the history of the chamber music development in Poland, and notes on each of the works. Unfortunately, the only track list is inconveniently on the back panel of the disc box.
The excellent young Royal Quartet certainly are expertly promoting Polish music with these readings, which deserve much greater exposure outside Poland. I would love to hear them in main-stream classical quartets!
Until they are more widely distributed, the records can be easily obtained from BeArTon's web-site shop (http://www.bearton.pl/sklep/index.php?lang=en&value=USD) with payment in dollars or euros.
|
Copyright © 2008 John Miller and SA-CD.net
|
|
|
Review by Beagle September 14, 2006 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics (S): |
I've been savouring the 2 discs from Polish BeArTon all week, and tho' I should throw some Bartók on now while the wife is out of the house, I am listening once again to this disc, which is deeply satisfying in terms of music, musicianship and recording.
Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-72) was just a name to me (not even a curiosity-inspiring name, like Dalayrac de la Laurenci...). Mea culpa, Stanislaw may not be another Beethoven, but he's a worthy successor to Haydn. The liner notes make a very telling point: Poland was submerged culturally and otherwise under Russia all through the Classical era. And that may well explain why Mendelssohn and Schumann are household words, but Moniuszko ain't. This first quartet dates from 1839, contemporaneous with a pair of quartets by Mendelssohn and another pair by Schumann, Nielson's Quartet no. 0, and a six-pack by Ferdinand Ries. It sounds very Mendelssohnesque, with that self-pitying whimper that Felix was so good at -- but in Tsarist Poland, Moniuszko was unlikely to be aware of anything post-Beethoven. I especially enjoy The Finale: presto which has a catchy musette (bagpipe) imitation.
Karel Szymanowski (1882-1932) isn't such an unknown; I have his 2 quartets on rbcd by the Goldner Quartet. It is no criticism of the Goldners, but Szymanowski never sounded so good as he does here. The opening notes send modest shivvers of awe and pleasure down my spinal nerves. Opus 56 was written in 1927, when old Glazunov was penning his Élégie, middle-aged Bartók was writing Quartet III and IV, and 18-year old Sam Barber was writing Serenade for strings. Szymanowski is modern without being modernist, perhaps owing his tonality more to Wagner or R. Strauss than Schoenberg.
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-69), wrote her fourth quartet in the inauspicious year of 1950 (tone-rows all the rage), and yet it emerges unscathed as one of those bright, utterly musical gems of the unlamented 20th Century -- I keep thinking of Dag Wiren's one wonderful piece, op. 18. Its three movements are over all too quickly. (This piece also exists on the Avie/Szymanowski Qtt disc, which sounds muted and droopy by comparison.)
The repertoire here is a welcome dash of novelty to the sacd stew. Bravo BeArton! The timbre of this disc reminds me of my favourite Kocian/Haydn disc: warm, but defined, not reverberant: as good as it gets without IsoMike. The playing of the relatively young musicians of the Polish Royal Quartet* is transparent, perhaps reflecting the maturity of older mentors; the music is not TOO demanding, so I'll limit them to 4 stars for starters (4 out of 5 ain't BAD).
*Not to be confused with Kopehagen Royal Qtt.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
