Why this programme? There is no specific theme claimed for
the selection of these three pieces, nor need there be. The
Engegård quartet just think these are some of the best pieces
for string quartet around, and take us on their musical journey
with deep conviction.
The SACD engineering of this recording is an important aspect
of anyone considering it for their collection, and recording
producer Morton Lindberg places us pretty much within the quartet
itself, managing the microphone placement differently to get
the best out of each piece. Beethoven’s String Quartet in
E flat major Op.74 gets close scrutiny, and I doubt anyone
but a quartet member will have heard those pizzicato exchanges
in the opening movement with quite such an exhilarating table-tennis
thrill. The Engegård Quartet proves itself equal to this highly
detailed sonic package, playing with a warm sense of integrated
expressivity and vitality. There are too many recordings around
to claim this or any other as ‘the best’, but they are every
bit the equal of my most recent reference, that of the Borodin
Quartet on Chandos. Just the sheer closeness of the recording
and separation of the instruments provides an education into
Beethoven’s inventiveness, with all of those little inner scales
and voices thrown into sharp definition. You might imagine such
a fiercely analytical picture would remove some of the emotional
effect, but I didn’t find this to be the case. Perhaps the intensity
of the Presto third movement is a little overwhelming
at times, but there is a place for such a white-knuckle ride,
and I have rarely heard that difficult contrapuntal second section
quite so emphatically argued – the Engegård players make the
Borodin Quartet sound very old and pedestrian here, though this
is admittedly perhaps not the best piece in their complete set.
This is the recording to bring out if you want a total immersion
experience, and having this with Beethoven’s ‘Harp’ quartet
played with such potent presence is a real treat.
Arne Nordheim’s String Quartet 1956 comes from a period
before his period of concentration on electronic music, and
can in many ways be regarded as his Opus 1. He certainly saw
it as a significant work, returning to it to make versions for
string orchestra including one called ‘Rendezvous for Strings’.
The piece does have a modern idiom, but isn’t particularly hard
to follow in its expressive language. The first movement is
about as long as the second two put together, and is filled
with open spaces, contrasting interactions of different quartet
members, but always with a kind of timeless ongoing undulation
of extended melodic shapes. The quartet instruments are placed
more widely apart than the Beethoven in this recording, and
we are seated in the middle, sensing the slow shifts of the
material as it is passed between the instruments. After a late
flowering climax, space is created for the energetic second
movement Intermezzo, which is filled with ostinato accompaniments
to go with a swiftly dynamic, restlessly advancing melodic development.
The emotional focus is on the final Epitaffio, which
begins with a slow, spare solo on the viola, accompanied by
just two notes from the cello. Quiet restraint, a dark, atmospheric
sense of abandoned spaces – you can allow your thoughts to be
taken in all kinds of meditative directions with this movement,
to which Nordheim was to return again and again as a source
of inspiration.
Bartók’s String Quartet No.3 has become a staple of 20th
century repertoire and deservedly so. There is of course stiff
competition around, and my own reference is the Takács Quartet
from their excellent Decca complete set. Once again, this Engegård
Quartet recording is one you might consider for the view it
gives into the inner workings of this modern masterpiece. The
Takács Quartet recording and performance has both a special
atmosphere and impact which is hard to beat, but having this
2L disc is really like having the score come alive inside your
head. They don’t quite have the same Hungarian-ness as the Takács
Quartet, a quality which quickens my pulse every time I hear
it, but Bartók’s music can take plenty of new life from the
Engegård players who can and do dig deep both into their strings
and their resources of emotional communication. There are some
tremendous effects in the Allegro second movement or
Seconde parte, with the wood and strings of the instruments
becoming tactile, turning the air into something malleable and
toothsome. Moreten Lindberg’s recording philosophy is that it
“should be able to bodily move the listener”, and his achievement
here is a very real and special one. The glissandi in the Recapitulazione
are marvelous, and the Engegård Quartet’s beauty of sound
in the sustained passages is second to none. This is an impassioned
performance which rises to every demand set it by the state
of the art recording. Far more than an education into the finer
inner detail of the String Quartet No.3, this recording
almost re-invents it, and you come away with the the feeling
it deserves the Coolidge Prize all over again.
This is a remarkable recording both in stereo as well as in
SACD formats, and while it truly comes to life in its 5.1 surround
format a good deal of attention has been paid to make it highly
effective as a plain old CD. The 2L label is very much one to
watch, and this is a shining jewel in its already richly studded
crown.
Dominy Clements
Engegårdkvartetten (Arvid Engegård, Jan-Erik Gustafsson (violin), Juliet Jopping (viola), Atle Sponberg (cello))
[66:29] 
