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Shostakovich 25th Anniversary Edition
String Quartet No. 3 in F major, op. 73[a]; Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67[b]; String Quartet No. 4 in D, op. 83[c].
Glinka String Quartet[a]: Alexander Arenkov, Sergei Pishchugin (violins), Misha Geller (viola), Dmitri Ferschman (cello); Oistrakh Trio[b]: Lev Oborin (piano), David Oistrakh (violin), Sviatoslav Knushevitsky (cello); Taneyev Quartet[c]: Vladimir Ovcharek, Grigori Lutski (violins), Vissarion Solovyov (viola), Iosif Levinzon (cello).
Praga PR 7254054. ADD stereo[a,c]; mono[b]. TT 79:10.
Czech Radio Broadcasts, Prague 23 August 1977[a]; live 26 May 1961[b]; 9 September 1976[c].
NOTE: Since this review was written, I have identified the recording on this CD of the String Quartet No. 4 played by the Taneyev Quartet as being a reproduction of an original recording made in Russia, not Prague. For reference purposes, my review is reproduced unedited, but the recording venue and date data above, as listed by Praga, are incorrect. Full details are contained in my report in DSCH No. 15 on misattributed recordings on the Praga label. WMR.
A generous helping of nourishing performances fills this issue. In Quartet No. 3, the Glinka Quartet eschew dazzling the ear in favour of sober exposition. If the first movement's flourishes sound a trifle prosaic, one cannot fault the players for letting the score speak for itself. The snail's pace of the next movement is potentially more controversial; I find that the proceedings bog down, but others may sense increased gravity. This certainly does provide more contrast than usual to the martial march of the third movement, especially since that too is on the slow side in this account. The clear-eyed Adagio that follows is also slow to the point of stalling, but the last movement impresses with its seriousness.
Although registered before an audience who don't always manage to conceal their respiratory afflictions, the rich mono recording of the Second Piano Trio cleanly exposes the three soloists - cruelly so in the con sordina opening of the work, where Sviatoslav Knushevitsky's bow repeatedly skitters off the correct notes. He is thereafter up to the high standards of his illustrious colleagues, contributing to a dazzling first movement. A genuinely sunny, bouncing second movement is followed by a slow, weepy third. The last movement is ploughed with vigour, its "dance of death" more defiant than panic-stricken. An interesting touch is Oistrakh and Knushevitsky's slowly arpeggiated pizzicato quadruple stops at the very end. This is an engrossing recital, and while its occasional roughness rules it out as a main attraction, its presence on the disc is welcome.
The Taneyev Quartet supply a Fourth Quartet that is at once polished and fresh, confronting the listener with pure musical argument. Tempos sound instinctively "right", and one very soon forgets about the music-making process. Take, for example, the patient unfolding of the second movement, Andantino, in which the Taneyevs are so fully absorbed that they fix the listener's attention from wandering too. It is a pity that from time to time in the first movement the recording balks at the Taneyevs' powerful utterance, for the acoustics are otherwise praiseworthy.
DSCH No. 14.
Copyright © 2001 DSCH Journal.
All Rights Reserved.
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