Review by JJ December 23, 2010 (4 of 6 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics: |
The String Quartet in G minor Op.27 by Grieg was first performed in Cologne in 1878 by the Heckmann Quartet. The work is was of a “luxuriant” lyricism which seduced, among others, Franz Liszt. Still, as François-René Tranchefort states with pertinence: “Abandoning counterpoint for writing that was far more based on melody and on harmony, Grieg must have surprised the ‘purists’. Today, on the other hand, it is certain short-cuts that surprise us, and most certainly, several structural uncertainties.” The String Octet in A major Op.3 by Johan Svendsen is a rigorous score in which solid counterpoint structures the whole. It is a brilliant and colorful work. The Kocian Quartet, accompanied on this occasion by the N. Nostitz Quartet, offers us here a fervent interpretation that is wonderfully enchanting. Likewise, the Quartet of his friend Grieg here displays accents that are both luminous and profound, based on a musical discourse that is exhilarating while artfully controlled. In a multichannel or stereo sound recording that is remarkably balanced and refined, this SACD of never previously paired works lets us relive, and pleasurably so, the chamber universe of two great figures of Norwegian music in the 19th century.
Jean-Jacques Millo Translation Lawrence Schulman
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|