PACM029:
String Quartet No. 1 in A major - Borodin
MP3
price
Vienna
Konzerthaus Quartet: Anton
Kamper (violin I)
Karl M. Titze (violin II)
Erich Weiss (viola)
Franz Kwarda (cello)
Recorded in
1950, issued as Westminster WLP 50-35
Download ID: 213473, 402135
(Duration
40'08")
Play
sample movement:
Alexander
Porfir'yevich Borodin (1834-1887) described himself as a "Sunday
musician"; professionally he was a medical scientist, with music
relegated to his spare time. Alas this was music's loss, as his relatively
sparse output shows fabulous creativity and craftsmanship. A member of
the "Five" with Moussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Cui and Balakireff,
he is often ranked second behind Moussorgsky in greatness - had he written
more this might be reversed.
A keen
cellist, a regular player in quartets and lover of chamber music, it seems
odd that he wrote only two string quartets, and both late in life - the
first in 1878, the second two years later. Yet when Moussorgsky heard
that Borodin was working on a string quartet he reacted in horror - this
went completely against the Five's rejection of western European musical
forms in favour of national Russian themes.
When one
looks at the current catalogue one finds far more recordings of the second
than the first quartet. Yet the sleevenotes to this recording state: "Though
rich in sensuous melodies, Borodin's Second Quartet has not the same enduring
qualities of his First." Little did that writer realise that
the second was about to become far better known, thanks to its use in
the musical Kismet, which premiered on Broadway in December, 1953.
This leaves
the first quartet somewhat out of the limelight - and yet those original
sleevenotes have a point. There is much in this quartet to admire - the
contemplative opening building to a movement of great passion, the haunting
beauty of the second movement, the ethereal quality of the third, which
has been suggested describes elfin pipers above the rustle of woodland
leaves, and the wonderful finale, building again out of a slow introduction
into an Allegro risoluto which is as resolute and passionate as
the marking suggests.
Peter Harrison
has again made a superb job of restoring and remastering from early vinyl
source material which had a tendency to blast during end-of-side peaks
- the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet give this recording their all! A superb
performance of a fabulous piece.
REVIEW
OF: Borodin: String Quartet #1 in A Major
(Vienna Konzerhaus Quartet) (1950)
Borodin
was the only member of the Russian "Five" (Mussorgsky,
Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Balakirev, Borodin) who, had he never
written a note of music, would still be a famous man. As one
of the outstanding Russian chemists of the 19th century, Borodin
was a great teacher and wrote a seminal textbook that was
still in use in Soviet universities in the 1920's. He always
considered himself a scientist first and only an amateur musician.
He generally composed only when he was sick and could not
perform his academic duties. His musical friends often half-jestingly
greeted him with the wish that he was not too well.
A
very small but very distinguished set of masterpieces emerged
from Borodin's pen: the second symphony, Prince Igor, particularly
the overture and Polovtsian Dances, On the Steppes of Central
Asia, and the second quartet. These works conveyed a truly
original Russian Bardic sprit and contain unforgettable melodies.
The first quartet, although very finely crafted, is not in
that league. Rather than evoke the gathering of the Polovetsii,
it conveys more the spirit of the gathering of academicians
at the University of Breslau.
The
quartet is in four movements. The first movement begins with
an adagio intoduction which does possess a soupçon
of Russian flavor. The three main themes of the movement are
attractive but do not grip the heart. Their brilliant working
out is worthy of Mendelssohn, but freer, more contrapuntal,
more subtle. The andante essays a folk-song-like manner, but
if it is based on a folk song, it conveys little warmth or
passion. The scherzo, as is usually the case with Russian
composers is very good; brilliant, assured, and somewhat catchy.
The finale is vigorous with much repetition and lively rhythms.
The quartet is well worth hearing, but lacks any melody the
like of which the second quartet has in abundance. The quartet,
while not a masterpiece and somewhat academic, is far superior
in my view to the Tschaikowsky Quartets #2 and #3.
I
first became acquainted with the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet
in the 1950's as they pionered the Haydn quartet repertoire
for Westminster Records in the same way that Hermann Scherchen
was introducing us to Haydn symphonies on that same label.
They play superbly, keeping up with the intricacies of Borodin's
counterpoint and thematic variation.
The
sound is clear and detailed, sounding like a very good mid-1950's
monaural recording.
