Carpe Diem String Quartet - Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev: Complete String Quartets Vol. 4 (2015)

Sergey Taneyev was the most learned and skilled of the Golden Age Russian composers. He was a virtuoso pianist and, like his teacher Tchaikovsky and his pupils Rachmaninov and Scriabin, had a rare melodic gift. Why is he not a household name? His chamber music is particularly attractive but there is a hidden trap for the unwary: when it comes to his magnificent series of string quartets, Nos 1 to 6 are the mature ones; Nos 7 to 9 are early works which were not published until 1952.

This is my first hearing of the Carpe Diem Quartet, an American group founded in 2005. It is also my introduction to their Taneyev series. Full marks to them for going to Horace for the name of their ensemble, and for clearly putting in a lot of work on Taneyev’s music. Obviously the major opposition comes from the famous cycle by the great Taneyev Quartet of Leningrad (Vol. 1; Vol. 3; Vol. 5), and by coincidence their CD edition places the same two works on a single disc (Northern Flowers NF/PMA 9936). At this stage I shall merely observe that their CD costs more, is less comprehensively annotated and is probably harder to find.

The Carpe Diem players begin logically with No. 9 of 1883, most impressive of the early works with a sunny, delightfully Romantic aura and an inescapable Russian tinge. The Tchaikovsky Museum holds Taneyev’s manuscript, with handwritten comments by Tchaikovsky. The Allegro moderato (Tchaikovsky: ‘All of this movement is very elegant’) is attractively melodic, with a flowing first theme and busier second subject. It is well developed, ending with a quiet coda. The Andante (Tchaikovsky: ‘Looks as if it will sound good’) has one basic song theme that takes the violins up quite high: a secondary theme is not used a great deal but Taneyev rings the changes cleverly. The Americans take the Andante instruction to heart and keep it moving; the Taneyevs are considerably slower but are so well inside the music that it never gets bogged down. Tchaikovsky especially liked the very Slavic Scherzo (Allegro con fuoco – ‘A remarkably successful and lovely piece’), which gives great scope for good timing and rhythmic interplay. The Trio is slower and becomes almost doom-laden before the fast music returns. Although the Allegro giocoso was less well liked by his teacher than the other three movements, Taneyev actually achieved a very enjoyable rondo with a slightly jagged main theme and a zippy coda.

The Sixth Quartet is a masterpiece in which all the themes derive from the arresting opening: we hear a sort of brief introduction before the Allegro giusto really gets under way. The second theme is devised from the first but has a completely different, almost skipping character. The Adagio serioso takes place much of the time against a weary, Winterreise-like trudging figure, first heard on the cello. Again in this movement the Russian players are slower, and in this way they make the trudging quality subtler, bringing a note of nostalgia to the piece. The movement contains a passionate central outburst and later takes flight, working up to a climax before ending quietly. Rather than a Scherzo, Taneyev then gives us a marvellous Giga, with a more restrained Trio section: again it ends quietly. The Allegro moderato is quite propulsive, with two contending tempo markings and at least three themes: at the end Taneyev reintroduces his opening theme, the fons et origo of the entire work, and the final phrases are quite emphatic.

Despite being made not just in different venues but different states, the Carpe Diem recordings are very well done: Jamey Lamar was in charge of both, with engineers Marlan Barry (No. 9) and Ed Thompson (No. 6). They have achieved a cohesive sound: the 1977 and 1979 Russian recordings perhaps separate the individual parts a little better. The Carpe Diem foursome play fluently and, as I indicated, have prepared the two works carefully, terracing and balancing the phrases. I would say their playing represents all things bright and beautiful, whereas the Leningraders – for whom the music was, after all, central repertoire – inject an added charge of Russian soul and project that indefinable air of command. The Taneyev Quartet is now defunct but its recorded cycles of Shostakovich, Beethoven and Schubert contain many fine things, while its Miaskovsky and Taneyev cycles may be called definitive.

The well presented Naxos CD, with useful notes by Kelly Dean Hansen, could serve as an ideal starter disc for the hitherto uncommitted.

Review by Tully Potter, MusicWeb International

This CD is the fourth in the series of the Carpe Diem String Quartet’s project to record the complete chamber music output of Sergey Taneyev, a student of Tchaikovsky and a teacher himself of Rachmaninov and Scriabin. And wonderful music this is, almost Brahmsian in nature (Taneyev himself is occasionally referred to as the “Russian Brahms” as well as the “Russian Bach”, the latter due to his strong and dutiful use of counterpoint) but colored with a sense of Russian dignity and pride. String Quartet No. 9 is featured first, and the informative liner notes discuss the fact that the score was donated to the Tchaikovsky museum due to Tchaikovsky’s handwritten notes on the score. Upon first listen it is clear that the 3rd movement Scherzo is an exceptionally well constructed element, and it is gratifying to note that Tchaikovsky himself felt that this energetic movement was the strongest of the piece. It is delightful, and shows clearly the sense of craftsmanship that is one of Taneyev’s strengths. The piece as a whole is extremely pleasing to listen to, with the members of the quartet giving and taking in the musical conversation in a warm and enlightening way. String Quartet No. 6, the other work on this recording, while not nearly as “dramatic”, is intellectually stimulating and is particularly lyrical in scope and form. The second movement ends in a somewhat reflective and somber way, but not in a way that is filled with sadness. For me, this movement was the crux of the quartet, and the performers brought it to life in an amazing and fulfilling way. The third movement is playful and effervescent, with joyful string playing in the violins leading the way, while the fourth brought the work to a very satisfying close. The members of the Carpe Diem String Quartet seem to fit together seamlessly (which requires a *ton* of work behind the scenes), but the result is amazing emotional shifts that move organically within the lyrical framework provided by the composer. The harmonic material lends itself to both playing in the background, as well as serious active listening and contemplation. I will most certainly be picking up the other recordings in this series. Strongly recommended.

Review by Warren Harris

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