Search - Kodaly, Audobon Quartet :: String Quartets 1 & 2

American Record Guide and Fanfare reviews

01/27/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fanfare Magazine / July/August 1998In his 1909 and 1918 String Quartets, as throughout his oeuvre, Kodály stands in Bartok's shadow. Although these works fall short of being great music, a superb performance can make them seem so, at least for the moment. On records, the Hollywood Quartet's tight ensemble and intense focus do wonders for No. 2 (Testament SBT 1072), but the eponymous Kodály Quartet falls short in both works (Hungarotron HCD 12362).This release answers Peter J. Rabinowitz's plea, in a rave review of Dohnányi chamber music in Fanfare 20:4, that Centaur record more by this fine group. The Audubon Quartet's current artists are David Ehrlich and David Salness, violin; Doris Lederer, viola; and Clyde Shaw, cello. They play with color and spirit; while their ensemble cannot match that of the Hollywood--few can--their more lyrical playing suits the music well, and they supply plenty of energy as well. Centaur has recorded them with a fresh, open sound that contributes to this disc's virtue, making it my first choice among recordings of this music. American Record Guide / July/August 1998The two Kodaly quartets are fairly early works--the first a kind of debut piece premiered in 1910 alongside the Bartok First Quartet, and the second finished in 1918--but they are both real compositional achievements and listening experiences. In its own way, Kodaly's nationalist-romantic First is more consistently individual than Bartok's, which refers here and there to Debussy and Beethoven. It's also long--all of 42 minutes compared with the 19 minutes of the compact Second Quartet. Apart from a scherzo that surprises by sounding like Sibelius, though, the piece does not resolutely catch in the memory. (Reviewing a BIS recording of these works, Mark Lehman singled out the finale as a rather predictable affair--Sept/Oct 1994.) But Kodaly's Second Quartet is really worth ranking up there with just about any of Bartok's six--especially the unique II, which somehow welds a confident structure from recitativos, open-fifth drones, hints of folk instruments, dance steps, and other coloristic touches. And the quartet writing and contrapuntal prowess are just as astonishingly assured as his friend and colleague's.The Audubon Quartet make well-nigh ideal advocates, with all the color, strength, and detail Kodaly's writing makes me anticipate. A pity Centaur's recording is so cool and echoey, and there's an audible tape edit at 10:55 in 1:1. But the ear more or less adjusts, and you're sure to find this a rewarding experience.Arved Ashby"