Russian Futurism for String Quartet
Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 06/29/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The budget-priced Arte Nova label has issued five CDs devoted to the now obscure music of the Russian Futurists. I took advantage of the low price on these recordings to explore works and composers that had been unknown to me. The Russian Futurists flourished in the 1920s and 30s. Members of this avant-garde movement eschewed tradition and sought fresh, contemporary ways of expression. The Futurists did not try to write for a coterie of sophisticated music lovers. Rather they thought that their music with its attempted directness, originality, and passion would appeal to broad groups of people who had little knowledge of art music. This hope proved unfulfilled.
This CD, the fifth in the Arte Nova series, is devoted to the string quartet and features three Russian Futurist composers: Alexander Mosolov (1900 - 1973); Nikolai Roslavets (1881 - 1944) and Lev Knipper (1898 - 1974). Apparently, none of the four works on the CD have been recorded before. Each composer has his own distinctive style which makes for fascinating listening. The music is performed by the Novosibirsk "Filarmonia" String Quartet. The liner notes offer no information about the group. The recordings date from 1994 and 1996, even though this CD was not released until 2008.
I was familiar with Alexander Mosolov through the recording of his piano music in the first volume of the Arte Nova Futurist series. Mosolov first received public attention when he wrote an orchestral work designed to imitate the sounds of a modern iron foundry. He experienced serious political difficulties which effectively ended his career as a composer in 1936.
Mosolov's string quartet no. 1, opus 24 dates from 1927. It is a difficult, anguished four-movement work with a lengthy first movement of over fifteen minutes and three short movements of between two and three minutes each. The opening movement is based on two contrasting sections. A slow, rumbling theme in the cello is set against a high, harmonically-piercing faster phrase in the violin. The two sections alternate in varied forms. Near the end of the movement, the slow theme takes on a character of almost blusey melancholy while the quicker section returns strongly syncopated, with very high tones played against the lowest register of the cello. The second and third movements are both played here as scherzos (even though the second movement is marked adagio). The second movement is dance-like while the third movement is swirling and strongly rhythmical. The brief finale begins with a quiet wailing theme in several independent voices and concludes with a robust loud passage in unison.
Nikolai Roslavets is fairly well-represented on CD with, among other things, recordings of his piano music by Hamelin and recordings of his sonatas for violin and for cello. He is known as the Russian Schoenberg for his uniquely atonal compositions. This CD includes two string quartets, each of which is about eleven minutes long and consists of a single movement. These pieces are difficult and, I suspect, not as effective as his other recorded compositions. The string quartet no. 1 is marked "allegro grazioso". It is a scherzo with a lyrical questing middle section and some moments of dancing. The string quartet no. 3, "moderato" opens resolutely with a march-like theme for the ensemble. There is a contrasting yearning middle section followed by a return of the march.
The string quartet no. 3 by Lev Knipper dates from near the end of his life. Knipper does not appear well-represented on recordings. This quartet is in four movements and takes about ten minutes to play. In its brevity, it reminded me of Webern, but its musical language is largely conservative. The brief opening allegro is dramatically tense and features a cello solo. The second movement is a scherzo which also includes a moving solo passage for the cello and a brief muted trio. The third movement is marked andante and opens with a plaintive solo for the viola, which returns towards the end of the movement over a pizzicato accompaniment. The finale begins with a sad, dirge-like theme which gives way briefly to a quick, strongly rhythmic section. The cello has a melancholy solo before the work comes to a quick close.
Adventurous listeners and lovers of Russian music will find this CD rewarding.
Robin Friedman"
The amazing Russians...
KISSHRHS | Netherlands | 02/22/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Amazing string quartets from the '10s & '20s by the Russian giants (Mosolov, Roslavets) plus a German-oriented work by Knipper: if the latter had been also written in the '20s, it would have been something to gaze upon, but it's sadly an old man's last chance ('70s)..."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
