Octo_Russ

Szymanowski - String Quartet 2 [The Carmina String Quartet]

The String Quartets of Szymanowski are not exactly well known, they still remain closed unexplored to too many people, even within the Classical world, but like say the Janacek or the Smetana String Quartets, they are starting to break out of their unknown shell.

These Quartets are not huge forty minute statements like the best of Beethoven or Schubert, but almost miniatures by comparison, each lasts well under twenty minutes, each is also cast away from the usual four movement models created by Haydn and Mozart, and Szymanowski wisely creates his own individual ideas in a couple of three movement works.

The Carmina String Quartet here are made up of,

Matthias Enderle - Violin

Susanne Frank - Violin

Wendy Champney - Viola

Stephen Goerner - Cello

They have been going since 1984, and still have the original line up, i believe they received a Gramophone award for this disc, which propelled them into the limelight, they have been stuck on the Denon Label, which has less exposure than other well known labels, but it's is one of the very best innovative labels out there, Denon discs are very desireable, they recorded this disc in 1991.

The Second String Quartet inhabits that same world as his Mythes [especially The Fountain Of Arethusa], and Notturno [from Notturno E Tarantella], ghostly and mysterious, i very much enjoyed the first movement, it starts with a very original quiet and gentle chugging away in the background, by i take it the second violin and the viola [0:00+], over this the first violin comes in, and it has an almost sinister use of its high registers, to create a tune full of mystery and intrigue [0:05-0:42], this is what Szymanowski is so good at, the cello adds to the violin atmosphere [0:40+], and eventually the chugging stops, and instead there's a degree of pizzicato [0:51+], there's a very inventive passage just after this [1:19-1:45], the first violin plays high [1:19+], the cello mirrors quietly at the other end of the spectrum [1:26+], and the chugging starts up again [1:27+], Szymanowski's a master at this, right after this there's glassy glissando's [1:46+], later the first violin creates some nice out of tune woodwind effects [2:49+], very atmospheric, with quiet but busy strings in the background, the opening returns again towards the end [4:58+], and with everything that's gone on before, this is a glorious refreshing, hearing things again really throws them into your memory banks, the conclusion is that Szymanowski is the master of highly original sonorities, his String Quartets are worth getting to know, and i enjoyed the acquaintance today.

Here's The Carmina Quartet playing the first movement of the Second String Quartet on YouTube.