Alexander Glazunov - String Quartets Vol. 4 (Utrecht String Quartet)

Information

Composer: Alexander Glazunov

• (01) String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 106
• (05) Five Novelettes, Op. 15

Utrecht String Quartet

Eeva Koskinen & Katherine Routley, violins

Joël Waterman, viola

Sebastian Koloski, cello

Date: 2011

Label: MDG

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Review

The Utrecht Quartet is making something of a speciality of the Russian repertoire and this latest volume in its Glazunov series joins Grechaninov (two volumes so far) and Tchaikovsky in its highly absorbing trawl. Not that it has ignored territory very much closer to home; try its discs of Robert de Roos and Lex van Delden, for instance.

The Utrecht and its label MDG are taking a crabwise approach to Glazunov. I reviewed the very first volume favourably, but not for them a chronological survey; instead the opening salvo brought the third and fifth quartets, volume 2 brought the second and fourth; then the third disc veered off entirely to the Op.35 Suite and the Op.39 Quintet. With this volume however we are back on track with the big Sixth and the evergreen Novelettes.

The Sixth Quartet was written in 1921. It’s a big forty minute work, quasi-symphonic in places and dense in texture, especially in the first movement when you could be forgiven for thinking it was a quintet. This chamber orchestral quality is well conveyed by the Utrecht who seemingly revels in its strong and vital structure. By contrast the Intermezzo is light-hearted, asymmetrical and engaging whilst the slow movement is an Andante piangevole and nicely lyrical. The finale is a theme and variations. Its sound world varies from being a touch ecclesiastical in places to revealing the influence of Dvorák and Tchaikovsky. The folkloric and pious panels that frank the finale are clever, though very stop-start. This is a finely played work, though I can’t claim that it’s a masterpiece of the chamber repertoire.

The Novelettes reveal what the Quartet lacks; really distinctive tunes and a concise approach to structure and to harmony. Quite a few groups have essayed the complete set of five, but I’d drawn attention to the Fine Arts on Naxos [8.570256] who offer a diametrically opposed kind of performance. Where the Utrecht is light of bow pressure, the Fine Arts dig in powerfully. The way best to appreciate these differing aesthetic approaches is to contrast the simplicity of phrasing and restrained vibrato of the Utrecht in the Interludium with the Fine Arts’s muscular intensity. Or indeed the quite fleet, light-on-their-feet Utrecht’s All’Ungherese finale with the Fine Art’s powerful but slower approach.

Once again I’m taken by the Utrecht approach. I think they have reached a fine entente with Glazunov throughout the four volumes, and with a good recording I’d be happy to recommend them.

-- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International

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Alexander Glazunov (10 August 1865 – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor. He served as director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 Glazunov was significant in that he successfully reconciled nationalism and cosmopolitanism in Russian music. While he was the direct successor to Balakirev's nationalism, he tended more towards Borodin's epic grandeur while absorbing a number of other influences, including Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral virtuosity, Tchaikovsky's lyricism and Taneyev's contrapuntal skill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Glazunov

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The Utrecht String Quartet is one of the most renowned chamber-music ensembles, known internationally for its versatile and dynamic approach. In the Netherlands, the USQ takes part in all the important chamber music series; such as those at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, at Vredenburg in Utrecht and at the Frits Philips Music Centre in Eindhoven. The quartet has also been a regular guest in London since their debut in 2000. The USQ is Quartet in Residence of the Utrecht Conservatory. In addition to its extensive concert programme, the USQ also performs for radio and TV and for CD recordings.

https://www.naxos.com/person/Utrecht_String_Quartet/294879.htm

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