Czech chamber music esterday
evening at the Queen Elizabeth Hall the Emerson String
Quartet performed chamber music by Dvořák and Janáček. The opening work was
Dvořák's String Quartet No. 10 in E flat, which was written in 1878,
whenthe composer's international career was taking off (though as it's Opus 51
he had already composed a large number of works). It was commissioned to reflect
Czech nationality, and is based on the spirit of folk music - it's lyrical and
lively, and was attractively played by the
Quartet.Next came the first four of Dvořák's 'Cypresses' - arrangements of songs he had composed earlier, and with more depth than one might have expected from the source. The first half ended with Janáček's String Quartet No.1, nicknamed 'The Kreutzer Sonata' after the novel by Tolstoy which inspired it - itself taking its title from the Beethoven Sonata of that name. Janáček's music is a sharp contrast to Dvořák's - a muted start, and then often spiky, with much use of 'sul pont' - where the violinist uses the bow close to the bridge, producing a thin, edgy sound. The second half consisted of Dvořák's Piano Quintet No.2, for which the quartet was joined by pianist Menahem Pressler. This again showed Dvořák's gift for melody and Czech atmosphere, with a flowing and gentle first movement, and a final movement with a rapid and lively dance tune in gypsy style. All well played by the Quartet and much appreciated by the audience. Posted: Wed - March 3, 2010 at 08:54 AM by Roger Wilmut |
Quick Links
About Me:
Roger Wilmut XML/RSS Feed
MY PODCAST
Archives
Calendar
Blogroll
WEBRINGS
Statistics
Total entries in this category: Published On: Mar 11, 2016 05:00 PM |
||||||||||||||||||
