RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
String Quartet in E flat major Op.74 ‘Harp’ (1809) [30:06]
Arne NORDHEIM (1931-2010)
String Quartet 1956 [20:31]
Béla BARTÓK (1881-1945)
String Quartet No.3 Sz85 (1927) [15:52]
Engegårdkvartetten (Arvid Engegård, Jan-Erik Gustafsson (violin), Juliet Jopping
(viola), Atle Sponberg (cello))
rec. April 2009, Sofienberg Church, Oslo
2L RECORDS 2L71 [66:29]
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
A shining jewel in 2L’s already richly studded crown.