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String Quartets, Vol II: Beethoven / Nordheim / Bartók - Engegård Quartet

String Quartets, Vol II: Beethoven / Nordheim / Bartók - Engegård Quartet

2L  2L-071-SACD

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Chamber


Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major Op. 74 "Harp", Nordheim: String Quartet 1956, Bartók: String Quartet No. 3

Engegård Quartet


The monumental creativity which Beethoven, Haydn and Bartók gave to the genre of the string quartet is our greatest inspiration. In the Harp we find Beethoven at his most entertaining and least problematic, although slightly provocative in the almost forced gentleness of the final movement. We chose to record the String Quartet 1956 including its incredibly atmospheric final Largo in honour of one of Norway's greatest composer, Arne Nordheim. The intensity and individuality of Bartók's 3rd Quartet make it a natural conclusion for us, juxtaposing the most intimate and lonely music with hard-hitting rhythmic sections which only Bartók could bring off.

The Engegård Quartet made their first appearance at the 2006 Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival. Inspired by the midnight sun, their musical landscape ranges from glowing core energy to the gentle lyrical sound of Norwegian nature.

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Review by John Broggio - September 20, 2010

Another enterprising release from 2L and this young quartet.

The Engegårdkvartetten offer one of Beethoven's most accessible "late" quartets, an early work by Nordheim (otherwise only available on SACD here: Nordheim - Cikada Duo) which is more at the modernist end of his output and Bartók's shortest quartet.

Beethoven's "Harp" quartet is justly famed musically as well as numbering amongst his most popular chamber works for it is (to borrow Mozart's phrase about some of his piano concertos) "there are passages here and there from which only connoisseurs can derive satisfaction; but these passages are written in such a way that the less learned cannot fail to be pleased, though without knowing why". The Engegårdkvartetten play with passion and conviction with tempo choices that seem just right, never too fast in the outer movements nor too ponderous in the sublime Adagio ma non troppo. They inject a great deal of nervous energy to this work and some listeners more used to a reflective meditation might find this approach too intense. Occasionally I found that the finesse of sound got lost at the trickiest moments and the coda to the work is left hanging in the air rather than as a satisfactory conclusion; an interesting way of performing this work but not the full story by any means. Those possessing Beethoven: String Quartets 10 & 11 - Pražák Quartet will not need to rush to the shops on account of this performance alone.

Arne Nordheim's String Quartet 1956 is his third work for the medium (but his first to be so titled) and comes immediately before he started his fascination for electronics in music. The work is through-composed in 3 linked sections (an improvisatory slow movement with highly contrasting outbursts of quiet and loudness, a central intermezzo that soon gives way to a moto perpetuo, finally a movement that is extremely slow and gradually winds down to a whispered conclusion). The playing can only be described as hypnotic and dedicated - one cannot imagine a rival account presenting this music more persuasively.

At around 15 minutes, Bartók's 3rd quartet is the shortest offering here but the brevity is not lack of imagination but the distillation of thought to its bare bones. By comparison to Bartók: String Quartets 1-6 - Mikrokosmos String Quartet, the Engegårdkvartetten adopt very similar tempo choices - but then tempo is not everything in such music, much hangs on the characterisation. Thanks to the close recording, this account appears to be more intensely characterised than the Mikrokosmos account but one should dismiss the Hungaroton discs lightly for they inhabit the soul of the music naturally whereas this performance feels a little forced on occasion. Thrill seekers will be in heaven.

The sound is, as is often the case with 2L, very stimulating (the balance is close and one can almost see rosin fly out of the speakers) if not a little controversial for some listeners. 2L have chosen (possibly in collaboration with the Engegårdkvartetten, the notes do not say) to place the listener in the centre of the 4 players (violins behind) which makes some moments gain a clarity that one can but dream of hearing in the concert hall or on disc but it is certainly not a natural presentation and one can well imagine that some will find it detracts rather than adds to the musical experience. Aside from considerations of instrument placing, the sound is astonishingly lifelike and vivid.

Recommended with caution!

Copyright © 2010 John Broggio and HRAudio.net

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Sonics (Multichannel):

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