Nomination Golden Label – Sharing the heart of music is their noble motto, and something like that naturally presupposes that as an ensemble one penetrates to the core of music. On their latest cd titled Solitude it is the gentlemen Mendelssohn and Weinberg whose emotional stirrings are laid bare in the most intense manner. To put it in film musical terms: It's electrifying!
But the Dudok Kwartet Amsterdam generally has even more in store for its listeners. Or what would you say to a carefully crafted program with the allure of a concert performance. On their first two albums – Métamorphoses and Labyrinth – the quartets of Ligeti were coupled with gems from the Viennese Classics. Even less conventional was the music of Brahms (some pieces originally for solo piano) and Bach (canons up to eight voices) that came as a particularly special addition. Now there is their third cd, titled Solitude and once again released by Resonus Classics, and the quartet has truly surpassed itself in the structure of this album. Between the last quartet of Mendelssohn (1847) and the third attempt by Mieczysław Weinberg (1944), a work suddenly appears that is known from a Flemish perspective: Mille regretz by 'our' early modern polyphonist Josquin des Prez. The arrangement is by Dudok cellist David Faber. The impact on the overall recording is simply sublime. And the original text of the chanson fits nicely with the theme of solitude that runs like a thread through the various works. As does the five-voice madrigal with which Solitude ends: Moro lasso by the late Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo. "A musical act of penance", as it is called in the worthwhile booklet notes, by a tormented composer who murdered both his first wife and her lover. The rendering by the isolated perpetrator produces anything but a big success, but rather one final display of memorable ensemble playing that excels in consultation and, especially, a striking sonority. Even with just four players …
Reference Material
The Dudok Kwartet Amsterdam opens the cd with the last completed masterwork of Felix Mendelssohn. Among performers today his opus 80 is perhaps his most popular string quartet – you come across it regularly as a concert-goer. And on record too this composition is well served – on the website of ArkivMusic alone 29 recordings are dished up. Why this choice then? The title above the serene Adagio and the image in fourfold on the cd cover are the key. For a mourning Felix wrote this "Requiem for Fanny" in memory of his recently deceased sister. The loss is reflected in a quartet whose restless outer movements, well, speak volumes. The members of the Dudok Kwartet make them into (wildly) fast rollercoasters that evocatively conjure up the energy of a live performance. There are not only the precisely emphasized storm winds of the Allegro vivace assai, or the frenzied finale in which the first violin must twice pull off superior finger-breaking runs (Allegro molto). Above all, there is a continuous drive in both movements, aided by small playful passages and figures from four musicians who have their say at precisely the right moment. The tension is therefore gripping from beginning to end. Only the bitter resignation of the Adagio offers some solace. Especially there the balance is perfect. The phrasings are passionate. And the oh so subtle fluctuations in dynamics complete it perfectly. Finally, something about the neatly accented scherzo, which begins in media res (Allegro assai). The middle voices do particularly fine work there to, as if they were a hurdy-gurdy, stitch the music together completely. It is absolutely not a minor detail, but contributes essentially to the enchanting qualities of this movement. A brief conclusion presents itself pleasantly: a new recording of opus 80 is no longer necessary. Comparison is also not really a must. This is in any case reference material.
What follows is thus Desprez and two delightful minutes of serene introspection. The contrast with the frenzy from Mendelssohn's finale or the frantic opening of Weinberg's third string quartet is as welcome as it is gigantic, and does not miss its effect. Just as with Mendelssohn, this music by Weinberg is also inspired by loss: his parents and sister did not survive the Second World War. And in this case too the recording testifies to alertness, empathy and insight. Especially in the opening movement (Presto) the string players must be sharp to render the unpredictable deluge of musical ideas. Successfully. In the following Andante sostenuto the accompaniment sounds so tight it seems like one instrument. The theme that suddenly breaks through in the first violin (2:20) is of quasi-perfect beauty and is bowed with tremendous feeling. This is a compelling movement that lingers. The monothematic finale, by contrast, leaves a more fleeting impression (Allegretto). A touch of irony is not far away, as if Weinberg's good friend Shostakovich peers around the corner. The standard for Weinberg's complete string quartets was already set with success by the Quatuor Danel. But the Dudok, which studied under Marc Danel at the Dutch String Quartet Academy, makes you listen to this work with fresh ears, and in doing so makes a powerful plea for an equally powerful quartet.
Also featuring the sparse Elegy from Shostakovich's Two Pieces for String Quartet (1931) as an encore, which again stands out stylishly against the colorful splendor of a Gesualdo, this has become anything but a lightly digestible little album. Solitude has a dark edge, but sparkles like a diamond through the quality of the performances. Klassiek Centraal is happy to add a golden glow to that as well. Loneliness was never so fine.
- WHO: Dudok Kwartet Amsterdam [Judith van Driel (violin), Marleen Wester (violin), Marie-Louise de Jong (viola) and David Faber (cello)]
- WHAT: Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) – String Quartet in f (opus 80) | Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450-1521) – Mille regretz (arr. David Faber) | Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996) – String Quartet no. 3 in d (opus 14) | Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) – Elegy (from the Two Pieces for String Quartet) | Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613) – Moro lasso (arr. David Faber)
- RELEASE: Resonus Classics (RES 10215)
- PHOTO CREDIT: © Marco Borggreve
