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Declarations - Music Between The Wars / Pacifica Quartet
Cedille

Declarations - Music Between The Wars / Pacifica Quartet

$19.99

Details

Composer
JANACEK: STRING QUARTET NO.2 (
Artist
PACIFICA QUARTET
Format
CD
Label
Cedille
Released
Jan 01, 2006
Catalog #
CDR 092
UPC
735131909228

About

The Pacifica String Quartet plays with such lovely tone that even the thornier bits of the atonal Seeger and the acerbic Hindemith works come across as elegant, even mellow. The truth is, both are full of beautiful and arresting music, and as these performances show, all it takes is a group willing to play them that way. This is particularly noticeable in the evocative Andante of Seeger's quartet--a brief work lasting barely 12 minutes in all, but one full of unusual textures and imaginative ideas. Similarly, the Hindemith never has sounded so warmly expressive. Its opening Fugato isn't just a neo-classical counterpoint exercise but a lyrical movement sculpted from long, flowing lines, while rude gestures in the second and fourth movements have plenty of guts but never for a moment turn gratuitously coarse.

This last observation holds particular relevance in considering Janácek's Second Quartet, a work of high drama and intense passion that some quartets make positively ugly. Indeed, you might at first find the Pacifica Quartet too smooth, but that impression turns out to be mistaken as the work proceeds. Consider, for example, the hysterical outburst midway through the third movement, with the violin screaming above a pulsating accompaniment. Not only does the passage erupt with all of the necessary violence and abruptness, but you can actually hear the individual components of the rhythmic underpinning below the wailing violin. Usually, the passage comes off as a blur. The Pacifica players also adopt an entirely appropriate and stylish use of portamento to give Janácek's melodic lines an extra touch of expressivity. Only the finale strikes me as a touch leisurely, though no less detailed or committed.

Like so many recent Cedille releases, the repertoire is so intelligently chosen (all three works are roughly contemporaneous, dating from 1922-31), so interestingly varied, and the engineering so impressively lifelike, that this disc adds up to considerably more than the sum of its highly enjoyable parts. This is a challenging release, but one that no admirer of top-notch quartet playing will want to miss. It provides an excellent opportunity to get to know music that many collectors might not otherwise rank high on their list of priorities, but that is well worth hearing nonetheless. In short, this is everything that an important new recording should be. [10/10/2006]

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Tracklist 13 tracks

  1. 1 I. Andante 06:03
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Andante
    Duration
    06:03
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  2. 2 II. Adagio 06:05
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    06:05
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  3. 3 III. Moderato 05:48
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Moderato
    Duration
    05:48
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Allegro 08:27
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    08:27
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  5. 5 I. Rubato assai 03:26
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Rubato assai
    Duration
    03:26
    Composer
    Ruth Crawford Seeger
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  6. 6 II. Leggiero 02:03
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Leggiero
    Duration
    02:03
    Composer
    Ruth Crawford Seeger
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  7. 7 III. Andante 04:17
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Andante
    Duration
    04:17
    Composer
    Ruth Crawford Seeger
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  8. 8 IV. Allegro possibile 02:06
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegro possibile
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Ruth Crawford Seeger
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  9. 9 I. Fugato: Sehr langsame Viertel 06:06
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Fugato: Sehr langsame Viertel
    Duration
    06:06
    Composer
    Paul Hindemith
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  10. 10 II. Schnelle Achtel: Sehr energisch 05:37
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Schnelle Achtel: Sehr energisch
    Duration
    05:37
    Composer
    Paul Hindemith
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  11. 11 III. Ruhige Viertel: Stets fliessend 08:03
    Track
    11
    Title
    III. Ruhige Viertel: Stets fliessend
    Duration
    08:03
    Composer
    Paul Hindemith
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  12. 12 IV. Massig schnelle Viertel 01:43
    Track
    12
    Title
    IV. Massig schnelle Viertel
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Paul Hindemith
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet
  13. 13 V. Rondo: Gemachlich und mit Grazie 04:48
    Track
    13
    Title
    V. Rondo: Gemachlich und mit Grazie
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Paul Hindemith
    Ensemble
    Pacifica Quartet