Of all the 19th
century composers after Beethoven and
Schubert, only Brahms matched Dvořák’s
commitment and achievement in chamber
music. And of course Brahms was Dvořák’s
mentor, the greatest artistic influence
on his life.
This
6CD set is one of three that Warner
Classics has issued in order to commemorate
the centenary of Dvořák’s death.
(The others feature symphonies and symphonic
poems, and concertos, serenades and
the Requiem.) All three sets have an
arbitrary collection of music within
the scope of their chosen themes; but
they are still substantial and useful
contributions to the Dvořák catalogue,
restoring the presence of some significant
performances.
To concentrate on this
issue as far as these chamber music
discs are concerned, practically all
the important compositions are included.
The major omissions, and both are to
be regretted, are the A flat major String
Quartet, Opus 105, and the C major,
Opus 61. That caveat acknowledged, let
us give thanks for what we have. Dvořák
composed in all the central chamber
music combinations, and the first two
of these discs are given over to his
four piano trios.
For all the fame and
popularity of the Dumky Trio, and it
is undoubtedly a fine piece, the jewel
in the crown among these piano trios
is surely the F minor, Opus 65, for
its reconciliation of form and emotionally
driven content. The Trio Fontenay have
its measure, as they do with the other
trios recorded here, but there is more
passion in the music than they find.
Not that this is a major problem; in
fact it is more a matter of interpretation,
and artists of this calibre will always
bring their own views to bear upon the
music they perform. Moreover a masterpiece
of music will always be greater than
any one performance of it. Therefore
the Fontenay performance, clearly and
atmospherically recorded, adds to our
understanding of this marvellous music.
In the Dumky Trio the
performers bring a unifying control
to the complex formal design, and in
many respects this has to be the priority
in this music that moves from one tempo
to another so swiftly, like a ‘stream
of consciousness’ ebb and flow. The
disc has individual cue points for each
turn in the six movement span, and the
information is admirably clear in the
booklet. The latter also has the benefit
of a well planned set of notes by Patrick
Lambert, doyen of British commentators
on the Czech repertoire.
The Keller Quartet
perform the two chamber pieces from
the American years: the Quartet, Opus
96 and the Quintet, Opus 97. The first
of these is one of the composer’s most
tuneful and masterly scores, exuding
the warmth of his musical personality,
and the players bring a sensitive response
to its glories. The Quintet, with its
added viola, is a more complex work
and in my view
the greatest among Dvořák’s ‘New
World’ compositions. Just listen to
the opening phase of the first movement,
at once enigmatic and clearly designed,
to realize how high are the standards
of inspiration allied to technique.
Of course the Keller Quartet,
joined by Anna Deeva, have the music’s
measure, but the recorded sound has
too little bloom to allow the warmth
of the quintet textures to make their
full effect. In this regard the recent
Naxos issue with the Vlach Quartet and
Ladislav Kyselák (8.553376, coupled
with the Quintet, Opus 1) is to be preferred,
though the discerning enthusiast should
acquire both in order to gain maximum
satisfaction.
Disc 3 also has the
bonus of five of the song arrangements
for string quartet, known as The Cypresses,
skillfully played by the New Helsinki
Quartet, and offered in perhaps the
best recorded sound among these collected
performances.
The two string quartets
from the 1870s, Opus 34 and Opus 51,
are played by the American String Quartet.
Here the sound is somewhat brighter,
and the assured quality of the playing
is such that it makes the whole enterprise
seem absolutely right for the music.
During these years Dvořák
was discovered as a major voice, and
he gained in creative assurance as a
result. Therefore these two quartets
are an important part of that awakening
of his potential. Opus 51, for example,
was commissioned with a deliberate intent
to generate a distinctively
Czech chamber music; and Dvořák
succeeded fully in taking up the cause.
For this is one of his most effectively
tuneful pieces, while the finale is
as vivacious as anything in the quartet
literature after Haydn.
The Sextet, Opus 48
is another example
of a masterpiece that is not as well
known as it might be. Inspired by the
example of his mentor Brahms, Dvořák
composed a substantial four-movement
piece combining features of the Viennese
inheritance and the Czech style. For
example, the elegiac slow movement
is a Dumka, the fast scherzo a Furiant,
while the finale is one of the strongest
variation movements he ever composed.
The performers are the Boston Symphony
Chamber Players. Who give us a firm
reminder that the world’s great orchestras
contain players of the highest calibre.
In the final String
Quartet, Opus 106, the celebrated Alban
Berg Quartet not only perform with due
accuracy and intonation, they also bring
a powerful emotional commitment to this
major work from the mid 1890s, when
Dvořák
returned to Europe. The extended slow
movement is particularly eloquent, while
the contrast of slow introduction and
fiery Allegro makes for a potent finale.
The final disc (CD6)
returns to the combination of piano
and strings, with the great Piano Quintet,
Opus 81 and the finest of the Piano
Quartets, Opus 87. The Quintet is another
of those pieces whose personality and
material straddles the Viennese tradition
and Czech nationalism, and the varied
approach is felt from the very beginning
, when one of the most ingratiating
of themes is soon contradicted by a
burning intensity and drama. Holding
the volatile mixture together is a challenge,
but András Schiff and the Panocha
Quartet rise to it with the utmost assurance.
Likewise in the E flat
major Piano Quartet these artists have
a confident command of the music, and
shape its contours with feeling and
purpose. The performance makes a suitably
impressive conclusion to this excellent
collection of chamber music by this
Czech master.
Terry Barfoot
András Schiff (piano) 