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Contents:
DDD Total Time = 70:43 / Recorded: The State St Petersburg Capella Hall There are many neglected masterpieces in the chamber works of Antonin Dvorak, and amongst them are the two Piano Quartets, which were written 14 years apart. The First, in D major, opus 23, dates from 1975 has a superb set of variations as its middle movement and is - mainly - more restrained than the Second, in E flat major, which has greater variety and perhaps a more complete temperament. Both works are on a large scale; the Second is somewhat longer and is in the customary four movements. The first begins at once with a declamatory theme on the strings, answered by a descending heroic idea on the piano. These are at once combined to produce a rich and vibrant texzture in which new variants of the material are expanded in a warm and generous E flat major. This material is now more fully developed in Dvorak's mature style; he is never at a loss, and constantly finds new ideas growing from it. The development begins in a mysterious manner but the mood lightens and expands into a splendidly large paragraph of much character and richness. Following a spirited recapitulation, the coda returns to the air of mystery before E flat banishes all with a triumphant gesture. The slow movement, the longest of the four, opens with a noble theme on the viola, accompanied by piano and pizzicato chords. This is repeated, the piano leading to a continuation of this theme. Dvorak's genius at a kind of 'continuous melody' is here given full rein as the other strings join in; the piano has a new idea and this builds to a big climax, the viola theme more passionate and vibrant. The initial themes are varied and restated in octaves on the piano through a gentle string texture, which eventually leads to a recapitulation of the opening material, the viola themes now on the cello, building again to a powerful climax before piano octaves once more - with a new theme - wind the movement, through a beautiful coda, to its conclusion. The lyrical yet deft Scherzo is masterly. A veritable richness of themes, each one as fine as its predecessor, marks out this unique movement, with an occasional Eurasian touch. The surprisingly somewhat faster Trio is utterly delightful. The finale is a fully developed sonata-style rondo, with almost a Hungarian hint in the main theme, and which - after many enchanting delights - brings this splendid work to its unusual yet elated conclusion. Among the early chamber works of Alexander Borodin, the two string trios are notably interesting in that they are among the earliest surviving works in this genre by a Russian composer. They are both scored not for the customary violin, viola and cello, but for two violins and cello. However, as on this occasion, these fine works are almost always heard today in editions for violin, viola and cello, bringing this repertoire to a wider audience. The first Trio, in the form of a set of variations, seven in all, on a genuine Russian folk song, is in G minor and was written in 1855. The second, the one recorded here, in G major, was begun four years later and was finished - in so far as the work can be thus described - in 1862. In fact, this second Trio remained uncompleted (by no means the only incomplete work by Borodin), in that just the first and slow movements were finished. The first movement opens at once with a powerful idea, in unison on all three instruments and based upon a G major arpeggio. At once, this is decorated with a texture dominated by scale passages and robust chords, a texture which envelops the first subject. Despite this being an early work of Borodin's, the impression given by such intense writing is of an ensemble greater than merely three instruments - it is superbly imagined by the composer, as is the lyrically contrasted second subject, in the classical customary tonality of D major, the dominant of the home key. Borodin's working of these two principal ideas is exceptionally fine, and full of imagination, a working which, in its sheer musicality, avoids the impression of mere convention. The second movement, in D major, is by contrast a pastoral study, also hinting at a sonata structure, but note also the imaginative writing for the two violins as the music grows to the first of its climaxes. The second 'subject' has an inward-loooking, far more delicate, nature, with a gossamer-like accompaniment. The central section of the movement inhabits a more powerful mood, which, in its sudden changes of harmony, looks forward to later aspects of Romanticism. One can but regret Borodin's decision not to complete a four-movement work for this combination, but it appears that in 1862 he then moved on to write the Piano Quintet in C minor, his next composition. These early chamber music works of Borodin remained unknown for many years; indeed, it was not until 1915 that the manuscripts were discovered, since when the Piano Quintet, in particular, has (notably in Russia where it was first published in 1936 as part of the complete edition of Borodin's works) come to be regarded as an attractive example of that country's chamber music from the period. Borodin's youthful and endearing Piano Quintet is in three movements and was composed in Italy, where he lived from October 1861 until Autumn of the following year. The score is signed and dated, "Viareggio, 17 July 1862" and the manuscript is now in the Saltikov-Shchedrin Library in St Petersburg. During that time in Italy, Borodin was finishing his scientific studies under Lucca and Taccierini. It appears that the Piano Quintet was a score Borodin intended to revise at some point, but his sudden death in 1887 prevented that. The work is unusually laid out, and there are some indications that the finale - with its exposition double bar and repeat - was originally drafted as the first movement. However, the Quintet begins with the Andante movement, an unusual, folk-like theme on the piano at first, which is variously passed from piano to strings. The movement is not as long as we might expect it to be; the material is particularly fine and attractive, the time-signature changing occasionally from 2/4 to 3/4. Most astonishing of all, the movement ends in A minor, having begun in C minor. The Scherzo is also unusual in that it is in 2/4 and its texture is mainly fugal. It also has a lengthy Trio section. The Scherzo's key opens in A minor, but ends in C major. The Finale itself begins in C minor and is a full sonata movement, the first subject being another winsome, folk-like theme. The juxtaposition of keys a third apart thus makes this a wholly Romantic piece at heart, and the quiet ending in C major brings the Quintet to a soft and gentle conclusion. Page revised 30.06.03 |
