To my knowledge this is the first time that these three quartets
have appeared together on a CD, although the Kocian Quartet
recorded the Sibelius along with his Andante Festivo
and Smetana’s First Quartet. The present disc makes for
a very full program, whereas, as quite often, listeners get
short-changed when the two Smetana quartets appear by themselves
without an additional work. As for the Sibelius, it has been
recorded with his earlier works in the genre or with other Nordic
quartets, such as the Emerson Quartet’s program of Grieg,
Nielsen and Sibelius on DG. I welcomed the Dante Quartet’s
Janáček works on Meridian when it appeared, though
I found the sound to be on the artificial side. Here I have
nothing but praise for their performances and the recording
as well. However, there are other accounts of these works in
the catalogue that are on the same level technically and interpretatively
as these. The main attraction of this disc, then, is the particular
combination of pieces, and the performances are certainly worthy.
Gavin Plumley, in his interesting booklet note, compares the
quartets of the composers by stating that they reflect the torment
that both composers were experiencing at that point in their
lives - Smetana with the loss of his hearing, and Sibelius in
a period of alcoholic depression. Indeed, these works do represent
very personal statements by the respective composers, but they
can be appreciated on their musical merits alone. Plumley also
mentions that two of the works, the Sibelius and Smetana’s
Second Quartet share the key of D minor, one of the darkest
of minor keys. Whether or not these particular works have that
much in common, they make for very good disc-mates. In contrast
to the introvert nature of the Sibelius, the Smetana works’
drama is more external and direct, especially in the Quartet
No. 1.
I compared the Sibelius with the Emerson recording and find
little to choose between them. Overall, the Emerson is slightly
speedier and takes about three minutes less, the biggest difference
being in the Adagio di molto middle movement where the
Dante add some two minutes to the Emerson’s timing. Yet,
both quartets capture well the anguish present in this, the
longest movement and emotional center of the work. Otherwise,
their tempos are close enough to make little difference. Both
recordings are excellent.
For the Smetana quartets, the main competition comes from the
Supraphon label. The eponymous Smetana Quartet made four recordings
of these works throughout their career and their renditions
have been considered by many to be definitive. Other Czech quartets,
such as the Panocha and škampa, have produced noteworthy
accounts as well. I reviewed a disc for this website containing
the Quartet No. 1 and Janáček’s Quartet No.
2 by the Hába Quartet, which was founded in Prague, but
now based in Frankfurt, Germany. I found their Smetana to be
very idiomatic and overall excellent. Their timing is very close
to that of the Dante, and their interpretations have much in
common, too, though the Hába is the more dramatic and
extrovert. Some of this impression, though, is due to the recorded
sound where the Hába is placed closer to the microphones.
In the second movement polka, I prefer the Dante because they
are more straightforward than the Hába, who employ more
rubato and hesitation. One could argue that this is in fact
idiomatic-what the Czechs do with the polka is similar to what
the Viennese do with the waltz. The real heart of the work is
the very poignant and beautiful slow movement and both quartets
excel here. In the finale, the Hába’s extroversion
pays real dividends and their high E, signifying Smetana’s
approaching deafness, is the more startling. I would not want
to be without either recording of this masterpiece, but it’s
a shame that the Hába did not include the second quartet
as well.
Smetana’s Quartet No. 2, which he composed towards the
end of his life, is a terser and more tightly constructed work
than his first. It may be at a lower level of inspiration and
has never received the popularity of the first quartet, but
nonetheless is representative of the composer. The second movement
and finale contain elements of the folk dance, but the third
movement with its agitation exemplified by fierce tremolandos
points the way to Janáček in his string quartets.
Overall, the work is less Romantic than its earlier companion
and leaves a rather unsettled impression. As in the Quartet
No. 1, the Dante Quartet does complete justice to it.
I can easily commend this CD to anyone interested in these works,
and it is gratifying to see such a full program and one that
makes a good deal of sense. As usual, Hyperion does not disappoint
in its production, and as indicated above, Gavin Plumley’s
notes are thought-provoking and well written, too.
Leslie Wright
Dante Quartet (Krysia Osostowicz (violin); Giles Francis (violin);
Judith Busbridge (viola); Bernard Gregor-Smith (cello)) 
