This should come as no surprise to regular readers.
Composers who broach the 19th into the 20th Centuries either put me off with their adoption of late-Romantic chromaticism and modernisms, or they use them in such a way which captivates me.
These last two string quartets from Stenhammar, plus the unnumbered F-minor Quartet, are all of the latter variety.
String Quartet no. 5 is further aided by its hearkening to the Classical Era, both in its adherence to structure and its clear-eyed harmonies. Plus, I generally enjoy Stenhammar's jolly hustle & bustle and valedictory musical motions.
The centerpiece of the C Major Quartet is its 2nd movement theme and variations, which ends up not only developing a Swedish folk tune, but also musically telling the tragic story of the Knight Finn Komfusenfej through its variations, akin to what Richard Strauss did in his Don Quixote concerto. A wonderful entwining of musical and storytelling invention here, methinks.
If I enjoy No. 5's Classically-taut qualities, the opposite is the case for String Quartet no. 6. Here, Stenhammar wears his heart on his sleeve, with lush Romanticisms, long, lyrical musical lines, plus harmonies and textures showing more musical complexity and development. The construction of the quartet is solid, where I never get lost amidst the music, and I enjoy the composer's effusive musical emotions, particularly the beautiful third movement contrasting the furious finale.
One of the aspects which put me off of Stenhammar's middle quartets was something the liner notes author described as his deconstructing the motivic development. Here again, the same author uses the term dismantling the themes, but for some reason, it works much better for me, where the rhapsodic quality of those middle quartets just didn't take. Perhaps the shorter lengths of these quartets show a more focused music making comparatively?
As a bonus, BIS includes the earlier String Quartet in F minor, a discarded work which was to be his third in the genre. For whatever reason, he moved on to other projects and created a whole new String Quartet no. 3, found on the blog HERE.
Content-wise, this quartet sits somewhere between the two others on the recording, bearing the spirited musical uprisings of the 5th, with the minor-keyed moodiness of the 6th. I daresay, I like it more than the aforementioned middle quartets, even if Stenhammar found little quality in it, particularly the finale, although my problem only exists with the out-of-place, happy-go-lucky country tune in its slow movement.
As ever, the Stenhammar Quartet finds a freshness at the core of this music, in excellent BIS SACD sonics. As an aside, the picture of the ensemble on the back of the booklet looks like they are string mafioso enforcers looking to shake down any errant passerbys. Be forewarned!
Listen on YouTube
Work
String Quartet 5 in C Major (19.08)
String Quartet 6 in D minor (24.19)
String Quartet in F minor (20.50)
Performers
Stenhammar Quartet
Peter Olofsson, violin
Per Öman, violin
Tony Bauer, viola
Mats Olofsson, cello
Label: BIS
Year: 2013
Total Timing: 65.20
Find more Stenhammar recordings HERE!
The Stenhammar Quartet
No comments:
Post a Comment