In July 2012 came the Mandelring Quartet’s first volume of
their projected complete Mendelssohn chamber music for strings, followed in
January this year by volume two. Such are the performances that both of these
recordings look set to make this the Mendelssohn quartet cycle to have.
Now Audite have signed up the Quartetto di Cremona www.quartettodicremona.com to
record the complete Beethoven String Quartets. This will be no mean undertaking
given the competition already out there. Nevertheless, on the evidence of the
first release in this series, the Quartetto di Cremona look set to bring much
to this new project.
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| SACD Audite 92.680 |
The Quartetto di Cremona formed in 2000 at the Stauffer
Academy in Cremona and continued their studies with Hatto Beyerle. In 2005 the
Quartetto di Cremona received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship.
Building on their early successes, the Quartetto di Cremona
has played to critical acclaim at the most important venues and festivals in
Europe including numerous performances at the Wigmore Hall, London. The
Quartetto di Cremona has toured extensively in Australia and performed at the
renowned Perth International Art Festival Australia. In the USA, they recently
won the eleventh Web Concert Hall Competition. The Quartet was nominated
"Artist in Residence" at the Societa' del Quartetto of Milan and will
be involved in various projects culminating in 2014 for the 150th anniversary
of the Societa' del Quartetto when they will perform the complete cycle of the Beethoven
quartets.
Recent and forthcoming tours include engagements in the USA,
Japan, Mexico and China and in Europe the Quartetto di Cremona will tour the
UK, Italy, Scandinavia, Germany, and make a debut tour of Austria. Their debut
recording for Decca encompassed the complete string quartets by Fabio Vacchi,
released in April 2011.
The first release in
this projected cycle gives us the String Quartets Op.18, No.6, Op.95 and
Op.135.
In the allegro con
brio of the String Quartet in B flat
major, Op.18, No.6, the Cremonas bring light and vibrant playing, with
plenty of verve and, at times, gritty playing. There are some beautifully
phrased passages where they bring a special something to this Haydnesque work.
The adagio brings some really
expressive playing and it is lovely the way the individual players respond to
each other. Towards the middle there is some lovely hushed playing and, before
the reprise, the sharp little fortissimo is beautifully done. The Cremonas
playing, in the syncopated scherzo, is
full of passion, with ensemble spot on. These players are so alive to the
music. They fairly throw themselves into some passages in some stunning
playing. When the finale arrives moving between adagio, allegretto quasi allegretto and prestisimmo, the Cremonas play off the varied moods beautifully.
When the movement finally settles on the allegretto
they have a lovely bounce to their playing. The fiery prestissimo sounds so
inevitable.
There is a really fiery start, with plenty of grit in the allegro con brio of the String Quartet in F minor, op.95. The
Cremonas handle the emotional changes superbly. The allegretto ma non troppo slow movement opens a feeling of great anticipation
with some lovely quiet string sounds as the movement develops. As ever more
complex harmonies are added, these players bring some lovely sonorities,
particularly in the final fugal passage. In the Scherzo the quartet are magnificent, with playing of such spirit,
precision and understanding. The trio section brings out again their lyrical
nature with playing of sensitivity and some lovely interplay. After the short larghetto introduction that leads to the
allegretto agitato, the Cremonas
lovely textures again appear. The playing is so full of feeling and their
terrific ensemble is again apparent. The Cremonas dynamics have such an elastic
feel and the odd little coda runs away delightfully.
Finally on this disc we come to Beethoven’s last String Quartet in F major, Op.135. In
the allegretto there is a lovely
little questioning opening. The Cremonas bring such beautiful little phrases to
this constantly changing movement, with the players taking advantage of every
little phrase and nuance, at times sunny, then anxious and questioning, finding
every little subtlety. The scherzo,
vivace has a lovely bouncing, syncopated rhythm played with fluency,
precision and sparkle, full of passion and joy. From the start of the lento assai e cantante tranquillo glorious
textures emerge with these players subtlely adding layers of emotional depth as
the variations ensue. This is a quite beautiful movement. The questioning of
the first movement is reflected in the opening of the finale, grave, ma non troppo tratto – allegro with
the question taken in the bass register and the upper strings replying quietly.
The allegro section has some nicely incisive playing and, when the grave returns, the Cremonas excel
themselves in playing of power and depth and, as we are led to the allegro
again, the recapitulation is fresh and confident.
It is the individual voices of these players that are so
beautiful as well as the way that they interact so naturally. Listening to the
CD layer, they are extremely well recorded with every instrument well balanced
in a wide soundstage.
I look forward immensely to the next instalment of this
cycle.
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