Bacewicz, little
known outside Poland, the country
of her birth, composed quite a wide range of chamber music,
from string quartets, to piano quintets, to works for wind quintet
and various instruments with piano. Acte Préalable has represented
her work well, with no fewer than six discs showcasing her music.
The first of three
volumes of Bacewicz’s works for string quartet begins with perhaps
her best known work for chamber ensemble: her fourth string
quartet. This alternates between themes that sound folk-like
— the jig-like hopping of the cello part in the second theme
of the first movement — to more nocturnal episodes. While there
is a constant calling up of folksy sounds and themes, the piece
still sounds thoroughly modern.
The hovering second
movement picks up on the nocturnal element with repeated notes
on open strings. The second theme reminds one of Prokofiev’s
more pensive moments in his own string quartets. A slowly rising
and falling chromatic line follows as the main theme is traded
off from part to part. The joyous third movement begins with
the overall aspect of a piece from Prokofiev’s ballet music
— both happy and with tongue in cheek. The folk echoes remains
in the strummed cello parts, often using fifths and fourths.
Especially interesting
is the first piano quintet written a year later. This begins
with a slow introduction. A sudden change to a faster tempo
seems to indicate a new theme, but instead is a sped-up repetition
of the first theme, originally accompanied by a rising chromatic
scale in the piano, now supported by chords. The second theme
— both themes are essentially chromatic in nature - is heralded
by the cello. The melody of the first line of this second theme
doesn’t extend beyond a major third, but Bacewicz makes such
minute themes memorable — beyond that, she makes them sing.
The scherzo second
movement reminds one of the second movement of Shostakovich’s
Op. 110, only not as grimly sarcastic. The theme certainly sounds
not far removed from Shostakovich’s DSCH motif. There is a pensive
moment where the listener is reminded of the first theme — here
apparently played backwards, before the playfulness returns
and one is treated to a section that sounds as if Astor Piazzolla
has suddenly taken over the reins!
The third movement
is more darkly introspective. The mood is set immediately by
the piano, from which the quartet build. Again one hears the
sustained notes encountered in the fourth quartet. What follows
is a section of uneasy beauty that calls to mind various aspects
of Shostakovich’s later quartets composed ten to twenty years
later. This is a lovely moment that the Amar Corde quartet performs
beautifully. The repeated notes toward the end of the movement
mark off time - or, as in Schnittke, a heartbeat? - as the music
slows to stasis. The frenetic opening to the last movement shatters
the mood and brings us back to the jibing sarcastic side of
Shostakovich. This is one of Bacewicz’s finest hours, and it
is a pity this piece isn’t more widely known or performed.
The following work,
the seventh quartet, composed in 1965, occupies a far different
musical world than the rather closely-related pieces already
encountered. Bacewicz pulls new sounds from the quartet, with
whistles and skidding glissandi. The emphasis here is
more on sound rather than the more conventional idea of theme
and development. As avant-garde as this piece sounds,
it still fits well within the trend set by her other quartets,
all but two of which are in three movements of fast-slow-fast
tempo. The piece speaks its narrative lines with an assured
voice but for me the main draw here is the piano quintet, which
is a truly fully-realized work.
The recording quality
on this disc is very good and the Amar Corde quartet play with
the assurance these pieces require. These are works of high
quality and uncompromising nature.
David Blomenberg
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