The Doric Quartet seem to have a Midas touch and any repertoire,
however obscure, they commit to disc comes out sparkling. This
is their second Korngold release, following an earlier disc
of the composer's String
Quartets. Praise for that recording was universal, and this
one looks set for a similar reception. Given the rapid ascent
of this group's reputation, they could be forgiven for
cashing in on the core repertoire. If they were to record Beethoven's
Quartets, for example, the results would no doubt be among the
best on the market and would certainly sell as such. That's
not their style, and the group's commitment to exploring
neglected works is all the more admirable for the fact that,
commercially speaking, it is wholly unnecessary.
Just from rough calculations based on the dates given on the
back of the box, Korngold was very young indeed when he wrote
these two works. They date from his teens and early 20s, but
both sound so thoroughly mature that you could mistake them
for the work of a composer twice his age. Perhaps the answer
lies in the artistic milieu of his times. This is, after all,
music from the end of a long and legendary era of Viennese Romanticism.
It is as if the musical wisdom of Beethoven, Brahms and all
their followers has been distilled into the musical persona
of this young composer. Direct influences are difficult to spot,
which is all the more surprising given the composer's
youth. Korngold has moved further from Brahms than many of his
contemporaries. The chromaticism and free-flowing counterpoint
of Schoenberg's expressionism play a part in Korngold's
aesthetic. Richard Strauss is also a continuous background presence.
The Adagio of the Sextet, for example, opens with a bold two
chord statement of a minor chord followed by its tonic major,
just like in the opening of Also sprach Zarathustra. Also, like
Strauss, Korngold tends to focus the sophistication of his music
in the identity and contours of his themes rather than in their
elaboration. Not that he shirks his responsibilities in terms
of musical development. In fact, he has a rare ability to construct
complex contrapuntal textures from his themes without ever making
the music sound dense or over-saturated. That makes both works
much easier on the ear than, say, Verklärte Nacht or even the
Brahms Sextets.
The Piano Quintet Op.15 is in three longish movements, and their
very length highlights another strength of the young Korngold's
art. There is so much variety incorporated into this music,
yet everything fits seamlessly together as a logical and integrated
whole. The way that calm interludes interrupt the momentum of
the outer movements, briefly transporting the listener into
some plane outside of time; that's a thoroughly symphonic
trait and it owes much to Mahler. The second movement is a set
of variations, but again the music's continuity has the
effect of integrating each of these sections into a continuous
progression.
The performance and recording are first rate. The Dorics have
found an ideal collaborator in Kathryn Stott, who has no apparent
difficulties with the music's many technical demands
and who fits seamlessly into the ensemble. That is part of Korngold's
plan, I suspect, and he never writes anything that might set
the piano in opposition to the strings. In fact, he often uses
heavy pizzicatos from the string players to imitate the attack
of the piano. This, and many other of Korngold's textural
devices, work all the better for the Doric's assertive
but always precise and controlled playing.
Listening to the String Sextet, it is unclear exactly why Korngold
chose to use so many instruments. Unlike Brahms, he is not interested
in what bass-heavy textures can do for his chamber music. Unlike
Schoenberg, he is not after richly-saturated, enveloping textures.
Counterpoint is a continual preoccupation, so perhaps the additional
players are used simply to provide extra melodic lines. Whatever
the answer, there is a surprising lightness about much of this
music. As with the Quintet, there is impressive variety too.
Perhaps it is not quite to the same compositional standard as
the later work, but it's certainly close, and if you
didn't know, you'd never guess that it was the
work of a 19-year-old.
Again, the Doric Quartet works with collaborators who are clearly
well up to the task. Violist Jennifer Stumm and cellist Bartholomew
LaFollette have no problems fitting into the ensemble, which
is all the more impressive given that Korngold regularly writes
passages in unison and octaves, the sort of textures that routinely
catch out even the best groups. The interpretation is just as
flexible and lively as in the Quintet. Korngold has plenty of
surprises up his sleeve in this score too, and the players make
an excellent job of switching between styles and moods as the
music requires, yet never letting any of these changes affect
the continuity of the whole.
As with previous Doric Quartet releases on Chandos (Walton;
Schumann),
the sound quality is excellent, clear and detailed but also
immediate and involving. A louder piano sound could be justified,
although in the context of this interpretation the balance seems
fine. Similarly with the bass in the Sextet, we could hear more
from the bottom of the texture, but instead the engineers have
gone for an even response across the range, which better matches
Korngold's finely balanced textures.
Even by the Doric Quaret's now well-established standards,
this is an impressive release. It is to be hoped that the obscure
repertoire won't put off potential listeners, as playing
of this standard deserves to find the widest possible audience.
Gavin Dixon
Doric String Quartet (Alex Redington (violin); Jonathan Stone (violin);
Simon Tandree (viola); John Myerscough (cello)); Kathryn Stott (piano);
Jennifer Stumm (viola); Bartholomew LaFollette (cello);