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Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74 Harp (1809) [29:17] Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
String Quartet No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 92 (1952) [30:41]
Atrium Quartet
(Alexey Naumenko, Anton Ilyunin (violins); Dmitry Pitulko
(viola); Anna Gorelova (cello))
rec. 18-22 February 2008, L’Eglise de Bon Secours, Paris,
France. DDD ZIG-ZAG
TÉRRITOIRES ZZT080702 [60:09]
The
disc at hand is volume 7 in a series of performances on
this label by string quartets who have won first prize
at the International String Quartet Competition in Bordeaux. Other
performances in this series include those by such up-and-coming
quartets as the Belcea and Psophos.
The
young Atrium Quartet was founded in 2000 in St. Petersburg.
This is apparently their third album. Their first, recorded
in 2002 in St. Petersburg, included Shostakovich No. 5
and Haydn’s Op. 76, No. 4. I have not heard that one and
indeed could only find it on the Atrium’s own website without
a label name or number. Their official first recording
was made for EMI in 2004 as part of that label’s Debut
series. It contained quartets by Mozart, Tchaikovsky,
and Shostakovich, but not the Op. 92. The booklet also
mentions a recording in Leipzig of Shostakovich (quartet
not specified) and Debussy, but this is not listed on the
quartet’s website. The booklet states some of the more
obvious reasons why Beethoven and Shostakovich make logical
disc partners. For example, as far as the string quartet
genre is concerned, both composers dominated their eras
and, all but the last of Shostakovich’s quartets were premiered
by the Beethoven Quartet! There are many other parallels
between the works of the two composers and so it is fitting
that they share the same disc. That said, most CD collectors
would probably go for complete sets of the quartets of
these composers individually rather than mixing them. With
so many sets of these works available by some of the most
renowned string quartets, a new recording such as this
would have to be special to merit serious consideration. While
fans of the Atrium Quartet would no doubt want this CD,
what about the general listener who may already have these
works or is collecting individual instalments of ongoing
series by this or that group? I can state right away,
that the Atrium Quartet’s performances here are up there
with the best and can be heartily recommended to anyone
wanting this particular coupling.
Beethoven’s
Op. 74 Quartet is one of those that tend to fall between
two stools. It lacks the dramatic power and innovations
of the preceding “Razumovsky” quartets and the depths to
come in the series of late works. In this way it is like
the Eighth Symphony coming between two grander symphonies
or the Fourth Symphony between two giants. The quartet is
more lyrical than dramatic and contains a rather benign sense
of humor. It is a delightful work with memorable themes
and an innovative form. While it is in four movements, the
last two are connected by only the briefest of pauses and
the work ends on two quiet chords that seem rather indecisive. The
first movement is marked by its frequent use of pizzicato,
hence the quartet’s “Harp” nickname. I compared the Atrium’s
performance with that by the award-winning Takács Quartet
on Decca.
Overall, the
Atrium is somewhat swifter and lighter in their approach
to this work. This is especially beneficial in the third
movement scherzo, which goes like the wind but is articulated
with the utmost clarity. Conversely, the slower tempo that
the Takács adopts for the second movement brings out a greater
depth of expression in the music. The Atrium’s performance,
in contrast, has a nice flow with the more moderate tempo. The
movement is marked Adagio ma non troppo. Where the
Takács emphasizes the adagio marking, the Atrium observes
the “ma non troppo” indication more markedly. Both
quartets leave nothing to be desired in matters of technical
ability, intonation or style.
For the Shostakovich
Op. 92 Quartet I compared the Atrium with my benchmark recording
by the Borodin Quartet (EMI/Melodiya) and a newer version
by the Emerson Quartet (DG). Here the Atrium is on home
territory; the fact that they also recorded this work before
would seem to give them some ownership rights to the work. Shostakovich
had already composed nine symphonies before his fifth quartet
and he was to write ten more quartets. The Op. 92 resembles
the symphony to follow (No. 10, Op. 93) in its use of Shostakovich’s
DSCH initials as a theme, using the German notation: D-Es-C-H
= D-E flat-C-B. The powerfully rhythmic Allegretto non
troppo first movement is followed by one of the composer’s
most inward, subtle slow movements. The finale marked Moderato includes
references to themes from the first two movements and ends
quietly. The movements are played without pause. The Atrium
Quartet does this remarkable work complete justice. Their
approach is more like the Borodin’s than the Emerson’s. With
the Emerson, everything tends toward the dramatic and their
direct approach works well in the faster sections. In the
slow movement, however, I prefer the Atrium’s and Borodin’s
greater subtlety and withdrawn quality. If my allegiance
remains with the Borodin Quartet in general for this music,
I also have great respect for this new account. It is fully
the equal of their illustrious predecessor’s. I should add
that all three of these performances are technically beyond
reproach.
I can thus
welcome this new disc, especially for those who do not possess
complete sets of the Beethoven and Shostakovich quartets. Competition
in these works is indeed fierce, but the Atrium Quartet need
not fear comparison with the best of it.
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