Antonin DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, B. 192 (Op. 106) [39:49]
Josef SUK (1874–1935)
Meditation on the Old Czech Chorale ‘St. Wenceslas’, Op.35 [6.54]
Leoš JANÁČEK (1854-1928)
String Quartet No.1, ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ [18:28]
Wihan Quartet (Leoš Čepický, Jan Schulmeister (violins); Jakub Čepický (viola); Aleš Kaspřík (cello))
rec. Martinů Hall, Academy of Performing Arts, Prague, 30-31 May 2015
NIMBUS ALLIANCE NI6322 [65.17]
This is an immediately appealing disc: great Czech quartets
by Dvořák, Suk, and Janáček, played by a great Czech quartet, the
Wihan. By any per capita calculation, ten million Czechs surely do more than
their share in producing and performing classical music to a gratifyingly
high standard.
The big work on the disc is Dvořák’s string quartet, no. 13 in
G, op 106. This piece is rather massive in scale for a string quartet. Some
might find it too long, and overly symphonic in its ambitions but they would
miss the wonderful melodies, colourful timbres and dramatic development. All
these Dvořák poured into this, his penultimate string quartet. Composed
immediately after his return from the United States of America, the work shares
some of the spirit and scale of his last three symphonies, only pressed into
the smaller form of the string quartet.
Dvořák’s quartet needs a big sound to work, which the Wihan Quartet
provides, along with wonderful ensemble, sharp rhythms and forceful interpretations.
The performance is large-scale, luxurious and full of high drama. It is not
sentimental.
The Pavel Haas String Quartet recently
recorded this work to critical acclaim. Its tempi are a bit faster, and
it plays with greater urgency, sometimes making Dvořák sound a touch
more neurotic than usual. That said, the Wihan’s Dvořák lacks nothing
for excitement, and the occasionally slower tempo allows a clearer hearing
of how Dvořák crafted those snapping rhythms. This is a warm-hearted
performance, akin to the Wihan Quartet’s recent recording of Dvořák’s
Piano Quintet, op. 81.
The Wihan brings an appropriate amount of neurosis to its performance of Janáček’s
String Quartet 1 (“The Kreutzer Sonata”). A recording by the younger
Pavel
Haas String Quartet provides a touch more torment, but the Wihan’s
account is creepy enough for most, full of fragmented drama over interrupted
ostinatos. It also stands up well to the recent recording by the Takács
Quartet, with comparably gorgeous sound.
The shortest and least familiar piece is by Josef Suk: “Meditation on
the old Czech Chorale ‘St. Wenceslas’.” The chorale dates
from the Thirteenth Century, shaped over the years into a prayer for intercession
by the patron saint of the Czech people. Suk composed this in a burst of patriotism
with the outbreak of World War I, perhaps anticipating a Czech nation finally
free of Austrian rule. For a patriotic piece, it is striking for being restrained
instead of militant. The Wihan offers an ethereal reading of this rather serious
work.
This disc features excellent, rather close-up recorded sound. The CD booklet
notes are clearly written and informative. No one who finds this combination
of Dvořák, Suk, and Janáček alluring is likely to be disappointed
by these carefully crafted and powerful performances.
Richard Kraus
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