Zoltán Kodály - String Quartets (Dante Quartet)

Information

Composer: Zoltán Kodály

• (01) String Quartet No. 1, Op. 2
• (05) Intermezzo for string trio
• (06) Gavotte
• (07) String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10

Dante Quartet
Krysia Osostowicz, violin
Giles Francis, violin
Rachel Roberts, viola
Richard Jenkinson, cello

Date: 2014
Label: Hyperion
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67999

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Review

Kodály’s two string quartets tend to linger under the shadow of the mighty ‘six pack’ that his compatriot Bartók wrote over a period of some 30 years. True, their language is less outspoken than Bartók’s and their expressive range is less adventurous, but they deserve more attention than they’ve so far received. The Second Quartet (1916 18) is the one closest in spirit and style to Kodály’s instrumental masterpiece, his Solo Cello Sonata, Op 8 (1915). And yet its angular, contrapuntally tangled opening anticipates Bartók’s Fourth Quartet by some 10 years. The folk element that both composers held so close to their hearts is most evident in the second and third movements, the former also alluding to Bartók’s haunting ‘night music’ episodes.

I’d say that overall Kodály’s style more approximates his compatriots Dohnányi or even Miklós Rózsa than Bartók, the shimmering closing minutes of the 1909 First Quartet’s Lento assai (from 9'05" into tr 2) alluding unmistakably to Dohnányi’s Serenade in C for string trio, which was composed five years earlier. The two shorter works make for attractive makeweights, the 1905 Intermezzo for string trio recalling the Russian school (Borodin in the outer sections, Shostakovich-in-embryo in the Trio), whereas the Gavotte suggests a Delian brand of melancholy. As to rival versions of the quartets, the gutsy Kontra Quartet (BIS) offer fine readings of both quartets but suffer from an excessively resonant recording; the Kodály Quartet (Hungaroton) are relatively underpowered, especially in the first movement of the First Quartet. Which makes this new CD a secure recommendation for both works.

-- Rob Cowan, Gramophone

More reviews:
https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/kodaly-string-quartets-nos-1-2-2/
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Apr/Kodaly_quartets_CDA67999.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/02/kodaly-string-quartets-1-2-dante-quartet-review
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/10696030/Kodaly-String-Quartets-Nos-1-and-2-review.html
https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/kodaly-string-quartets-nos-1-2-dante-string-quartet/
https://www.allmusic.com/album/zolt%C3%A1n-kod%C3%A1ly-string-quartets-nos-1-2-intermezzo-gavotte-mw0002610034
https://www.amazon.com/Kodaly-String-Quartets-Intermezzo-Gavotte/dp/B00GMH2VTI

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Zoltán Kodály (16 December 1882 in Kecskemét, Hungary – 6 March 1967 in Budapest) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method, which is widely taken up by pedagogues in Hungary and many other countries. His compositions blended Western-European style of music, including classical, late-romantic, impressionistic and modernist, with the knowledge and respect for the folk music of Hungary. Kodály and his compatriot Béla Bartók were lifelong friends, and champions of each other's music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolt%C3%A1n_Kod%C3%A1ly

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The Dante Quartet, founded in 1995, is one of the UK’s finest ensembles, known for its imaginative programming and impassioned performances. Frequently heard on Radio 3, the Quartet and has appeared many times at Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, as well as at the UK's foremost festivals and music societies. They have made many acclaimed recordings for Hyperion, Signum and SOMM labels. Committed also to teaching, they have created an annual string quartet course in France. The Quartet has been honoured with the Royal Philharmonic Society Award and also international awards for its recordings.
https://dantequartet.org/

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