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SEEN AND HEARD UK
CONCERT REVIEW
Lutoslawski: String Quartet (1964)
Beethoven: String Quartet in C sharp
minor Op. 131
In the String Quartet (1964) Lutoslawski both
incorporates and goes well beyond the string quartets of
Bartok and Shotakovich. In its economy of form it echoes
these quartet examples; and for all its innovations in
texture, its complex pizzicato constellations, chromatic
ostinatos, extended glissandi etc, it follows a distinct
narrative with a haunting coda which corresponds with the
opening muted fragmentary phrase on solo violin - a kind of
fractured aria. The Hagen Quartet realised every facet of
this 'difficult' score with amazing musical empathy, both in
the intricate detail of its instrumental parts, and its
overall structural design. This dialectic between intricate
part writing and overall structure is particularly telling
in this work. Lutoslawski projects each part of the quartet
not in the standard logic of ensemble dialogue, but in such
a way that each player does not know what the other is
playing, has played, or is going to play. Conventional
musical logic would suggest that this deconstruction of
ensemble dialogue would produce musical chaos., but
Lutoslawski's point is that if each player follows his or
her cue, which interconects with the other parts, everything
will come together. And so it did, with astounding musical
conviction tonight.
This technique produces some amazingly innovative musical
effects, beyond anything attempted by Bartok or
Shostakovich; the mid-section 'Appassionato' juxtaposing
jagged leaps and gyrations between first violin and cello,
the heavily accented, sudden double-stops in all four parts;
and the disparate, hauntingly detached, prismatic musical
contellations, which initiate the penultimate pianissimo
chorale section, marked 'Funèbre'. The coda itself, which
echoes the fractured hesitancy of the work's opening
phrases, was exquisitely contoured by the Hagen Quartet. The
measured, but fragmented, glissandos on viola and cello at
the beginning of the coda took me into another world -
Lutoslawski's world. I really can't imagine this unique
music being played with more conviction.
The Hagen' Quartet made an excellent recording of
Beethoven's Op. 131 in 1996. I still play it as one
of the finest (probably 'the' finest) modern recorded
renditions of this protean classic.Of course in the course
of 15 years musicians change, modify their interpretations.
Tonight the Hagen' s interpretation overall was in line with
that superb recorded performance. But there were some
striking differences. One of the reasons I thought the
earlier recording to be of such high quality was quite
apparent in the all important opening fugue, marked 'Adagio
ma non troppo e molto expressivo'. In the recording they
demonstrated their superb musicianship by taking the
'adagio' at quite a slow pace - but never slow in the sense
of exceeding the important 'ma non troppo' marking. This was
an example of meticulous and concentrated timing; in more
basic terms the movement never dragged. Tonight they
emphasised the molto expressivo more and chose a slightly
slower tempo which to my ears did drag. ever so slightly. I
go into some detail here as the this opening fugue provides
the tonal summation of the work as a whole. So it is vital
that this movement coheres well with, and is structured with
and around the opposing poles (C sharp minor and D major).
Here it is typical of Beethoven's genius that the work's
tonal structure does not follow a linear tonal narrative,
but a discontinuous and juxtaposed tonal scheme between the
above mentioned polar tonal registers.
All the tonal diversity of the following four movements,
with registers as remote from each other as B minor and E
major, were convincingly voiced. The brief and fragmented
third movement, with its quasi-operatic aria recitative
tone, was given an improvisatory tone that was entirely
convincing. The fourth movement's unbroken variation form
sustained itself well with a feeling of tempo flexibility
which always maintained an inner coherence. The last adagio
non troppo e semplice variation was played in a much more
expressive manner than in the earlier mentioned recording.
It was on the slow side and I am not sure how it would sound
on repeated hearings, but tonight the Hagens won the day
through their sheer musicality and conviction.
The presto scherzo was as mercurial and rhythmically 'alive'
as one could wish for. The brief but trenchant G sharp minor
adagio made a wonderful contrast to the preceding scherzo,
while at the same time anticipating the return to C sharp
minor of the bi-thematic finale. Everything in this final
was made to register with consummate clarity and musicality.
The intensity of the two subjects, the dialectics of sonata
form, found their 'identity in opposites' in a way I have
rarely heard, either in actual performance or on record. The
finale peroration and the abruptly powerful coda had about
them that ring of completeness that befits one of the
tersest and most dramatic codas in all classical music.
At their best the Hagen Quartet has the rare ability to
project each player's musical individuality, while at the
same time always coming together as a superbly unified
ensemble. All this was vividly evident tonight in a musical
experience I shall remember for a very long time.
Geoff Diggines.