Plus more!
In each genre Stenhammar wrote for, his music showed his progression as a composer, be it a symphony or a concerto, and it is no different here.
The early quartets show the influence of Brahms and Beethoven, where his middle quartets display a move towards late-Romanticism and experimentation. My favorites ended up being his final two quartets, which gave a love of the musical past amidst his equal love of Romanticism.
In addition, the Stenhammar Quartet also plays the unnumbered F-minor Quartet, which was his original 3rd, as well as the Elegy and Intermezzo from his Lodolezzi incidental music.
While I won't cover each of the quartets in this review, you can find my thoughts on each of the three volumes in the Stenhammar link towards the bottom of the page, amongst other recordings of his music.
Comparatively, CPO's Oslo Quartet only offers Quartets 3-6, and the collection on Musica Sveciae is shared amongst three different Scandinavian quartets from the 80s with no extras. Here, the Stenhammar Quartet sounds fresher and more involved, which might have something to do with BIS' excellent SACD sound, and seems the most complete way to explore Stenhammar's quartets, despite any individual competition.
The physical media includes the three original liner note booklets, with the (hybrid) SACD's in paper sleeves, which all comes in a clamshell box. My paper sleeves were glued shut upon opening, which is less than ideal, but nothing hurting this music at all.
While each quartet was not a raving favorite of mine, Stenhammar is never anything less than a fine musical craftsman, and each listening session featured beautiful playing and sonics.
Listen on YouTube
Work
String Quartet 1 in C Major (32.33)
String Quartet 2 in C minor (28.40)
String Quartet in F minor (20.50)
String Quartet 3 in F Major (32.13)
String Quartet 4 in A minor (33.15)
String Quartet 5 in C Major (19.08)
String Quartet 6 in D minor (24.19)
Lodolezzi Sings (7.27)
Performers
Stenhammar Quartet
Peter Olofsson, violin
Per Öman, violin
Tony Bauer, viola
Mats Olofsson, cello
Label: BIS
Year: 2022
Total Timing: 3.21.01
For now, this completes my survey of Stenhammar's music.
He certainly had conservative leanings as a composer, but Stenhammar certainly wasn't afraid to experiment, which is true in these string quartets.
While I prefer individual quartets over others here, this is a lovely package altogether, beautifully played by the composer's namesake ensemble.
Find more Stenhammar recordings HERE!
No comments:
Post a Comment