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Shostakovich 25th Anniversary Edition
String Quartet No. 1 in C major, op. 49[a] ; Piano Quintet in G minor, op. 57[b]; String Quartet No. 2 in A major, op. 68[c].
Talich Quartet[a,b]: Petr Messiereur, Jan Kvapil (violins), Jan Talich (viola), Evzen Rattay (cello); String Quartet of Georgia[c]: Konstantin Vardeli, Tamaz Batiashvili (violins), Nodar Zhvania (viola), Otar Chubinishvili (cello); Miroslav Langer (piano)[c].
Praga PR 7254042. ADD stereo. TT 74:55.
Recorded live[a,c]; studio[b] by Czech Radio, Prague, September 1976[a,b]; 6 June 1981[c].
Shostakovich started writing his First String Quartet at the end of May 1938, just three weeks after the birth of his son, Maxim. The quartet's original subtitle was Springtime, and the Talich Quartet's performance is appropriately vernal, imparting a real sense of renewal. The playing is of very high quality, with robust tone that is put to good use in the surprisingly hefty final movement. The live audience are not too bothersome, and the recorded sound is quite decent considering the circumstances.
The String Quartet of Georgia turn in a committed performance of the Second Quartet. Though they are not so polished as the Talich, sometimes homing in upon their notes or only approximating them, such sins are venial rather than cardinal in the context of a live performance such as this. The audience are unobtrusive. Sadly, the same cannot be said of an overlaid audio signal running in the background, presumably cross-talk from some other radio programme. This is only faintly audible, but enough to be a real nuisance during quiet passages at any realistic volume setting. The second movement, Recitative and Romance, is worst marred by this, for playing in the background is a female pop singer of dubious talent, followed by a rather dull news announcer! The coup de grace for this pivotal movement is delivered by episodes of freakish digital silence interrupting the analogue hiss in rests at 3:29 and 3:49. Talking heads and singers intrude in the other movements too. The intensity of the performance cannot rescue this recording from its bizarre accompaniment.
Fortunately, however, the Piano Quintet sandwiched between the two quartets does rescue the disc. From the fast-driven first movement, Miroslav Langer is unreservedly expressive on piano, and the Talich Quartet are equally impassioned. The unguarded emotions of this reading are decidedly dark, even in the frenetic third movement where the players' imaginative but judicious infusion of rubato yields syncopated sarcasm rather than the usual jollity. Even higher praise is earned in the second movement, Fugue, where skilful mood-handling constructs a self-sufficient emotional tour. The Czech players open and close the movement with depressive wistfulness, framing a near-hysterical outburst in the centre. The recording's reverb around the piano's notes reinforces the hollow sensation that the players create in the fourth movement, here telling of insupportable bereavement. A swift final movement never sounds unnaturally rushed, and while all players do a wonderful job, first violinist Petr Messiereur deserves special mention for his fluency and accuracy. The analogue studio recording need feel no shame in digital company. All in all, this is one of the most compelling versions of the Quintet available, and wins the disc a solid recommendation to anyone willing to overlook the problems with the Second Quartet.
DSCH No. 14.
Copyright © 2001 DSCH Journal.
All Rights Reserved.
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