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Utrecht String Quartet - Alexander Grechaninov: String Quartets, Volume 2, No. 3 & 4 (Op. 75 & 124) (2006)

Posted By: Designol

Date: 15 Nov 2023 01:15:11

Utrecht String Quartet - Alexander Grechaninov: String Quartets, Volume 2, No. 3 & 4 (Op. 75 & 124) (2006)

Grechaninov was born in Moscow a year before Sibelius and also died in New York a year before Sibelius. He was taught by Rimsky-Korsakov. His music did not migrate far from his roots and continued to write in that style well after the 1917 revolution had led to exile first in France and then in the USA. A prolific composer in all the usual genres, his reputation seems to rest mainly on choral music and to be rather tainted by suggestions of lack of originality. Certainly, by comparison with his near contemporary Sibelius, his style did not develop much, meaning it is rather hard to believe the fourth quartet was written as late as 1929. But, listening to this disc, I sometimes found the music hard to place and was not continually reminded of other composers, surely one sign of an original voice.

There are four Grechaninov string quartets and this offering completes the Utrecht Quartet’s cycle. The previous disc was well-received by Michael Cookson three years ago (see review). Both works are in four movements with the slow movement placed second. They are fairly conventional but well-crafted and pleasant listening.

The third quartet opens with a slow introduction which immediately captures an ambiguity of mood which is a hallmark of both works. A transition by accelerando leads to the Allegro which opens almost classically in the major. The textures increase in complexity as does the tension, and it soon becomes obvious that this is very fine quartet playing. After a questioning coda, the slow movement opens in richly melodic and bittersweet vein. There is a restless and rather disturbing central section following which the opening material returns. The scherzo is less inspired but the finale logically complements the opener and the conclusion is ultimately high-spirited.

The fourth quartet opens with reference to the initial motif of Beethoven’s fifth symphony. The mood is often pastoral and the first movement surprisingly brief. The second is variously documented as a Moderato assai and Maestoso assai – I would suspect the latter is correct. In this movement the influence of Grechaninov’s forbears is pervasive but the music is memorable. The scherzo that follows catches the ear rather more effectively than in the third quartet. The finale has a slow introduction leading to some very lively if rather lightweight writing.

Grechaninov’s cause is very well served here and I have no reservations about the playing of the Utrecht quartet or the recording. Well worth hearing.

Review by Patrick C Waller, MusicWeb-International.com

Review by Gerald Fenech, Classical.Net

When Alexander Grechaninov died in 1956 aged 92, he bequeathed to the musical world, a vast treasure of almost a thousand works in practically every genre. United into more than 200 opuses, his output includes opera, symphonies, vocal cycles, children's piano pieces, sacred and liturgical works and a considerable array of chamber compositions.

His childhood musical education was a sedate affair, until aged 17 he entered the Moscow Conservatoire against his father's wishes. Between 1881 and 1890 he studied with such eminent composers as Arensky and Sergei Taneyev. In 1893 he completed his education at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire and graduated from the composition class led by Rimsky-Korsakov.

His musical influence was heavily influenced by his migration to Paris in 1925 and subsequently to America in 1939 where he eventually died. Throughout his long years in exile, Grechaninov remained faithful to his country and retained the friendship of many Russian acquaintances as well as his passport although his music suffered much neglect after his demise.

Surprisingly, Grechaninov wrote only four string quartets with the latter two on this disc. The Third in C minor was written in 1915 and inhabits the harmonic and counterpoint tendencies of the Second composed a year earlier. In spite of this similarity, the composer strives for complexity and perfection of form, both of the work as a whole and of its component for movements.

The Fourth in F dates from 1929, and is perhaps the best of the four. Grechaninov wrote it when he was 65 and wanted it to be a sort of thanksgiving hymn to life and fate. Although full of energetic and lyric moments, the quartet stands out for its masterly first movement which is reminiscent of Beethoven.

The Utrecht String Quartet plays superbly and they are fervent advocates of these wonderful pieces.

Review by Gerald Fenech, Classical.Net

Alexander Grechaninov at Allmusic
Alexander Grechaninov at Wiki

Utrecht String Quartet at Allmusic

Utrecht String Quartet:
Eeva Koskinen, violin
Katherine Routley, violin
Sven Arne Tepl, viola
Sebastian Koloski, violoncello

rec. Cath. Church, Delft, May and October 2005

Tracklist:

String Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 75 (1915)
01. I. Lento – Allegro moderato (09:03)
02. II. Lento assai (10:13)
03. III. Scherzo. Vivo (05:12)
04. IV. Finale. Allegro vivace (12:45)

String Quartet No. 4 in F major, Op. 124 (1929)
05. I. Allegro moderato (05:17)
06. II. Moderato assai (10:13)
07. III. Allegro vivo (05:24)
08. IV. Lento, ma non troppo – Vivo (10:28)

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DR log

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-01-23 19:38:13

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Utrecht String Quartet / Grechaninov – String quartets Nos. 3 & 4 – Utrecht String Quartet
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR15 -0.79 dB -20.24 dB 9:04 01-String Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 75 - I. Lento – Allegro moderato
DR15 -1.70 dB -22.45 dB 10:13 02-String Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 75 - II. Lento assai
DR14 -1.68 dB -20.16 dB 5:12 03-String Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 75 - III. Scherzo. Vivo
DR14 -0.99 dB -19.78 dB 12:45 04-String Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 75 - IV. Finale. Allegro vivace
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DR14 -0.09 dB -19.89 dB 5:25 07-String Quartet No. 4 in F major, Op. 124 - III. Allegro vivo
DR15 -1.62 dB -21.10 dB 10:28 08-String Quartet No. 4 in F major, Op. 124 - IV. Lento, ma non troppo – Vivo
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 8
Official DR value: DR14

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Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 625 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

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