For a survey of modern
Russian string quartet writing - with
at least one grand master lurking in
the background - the intrepid listener
could not ask for a more vibrant slice
than the one here. This disc was originally
released in 1995 and is now brought
back for an encore. Since the Stravinsky
works are relatively well-represented
in the catalogue, I’m not going to dwell
much on them, since the Chilingirian
Quartet gives them splendid readings.
They are superb miniatures, especially
the Three Pieces, and given all
the wit they deserve by this excellent
ensemble. It’s hard to imagine that
in 1914 they were dismissed as "freakish
and bizarre" according to Calum
MacDonald’s excellent liner notes. And
as MacDonald writes, the Schnittke is
also one of his best works – an excellent
small primer on the composer – and since
it is dedicated to Stravinsky, it is
thoughtfully positioned immediately
following.
But to my ears the
final three works are the best reason
to acquire this recording. Roslavets
has been gaining in attention recently.
This is a good thing since his work
is under-represented and well worth
getting to know. Anyone with an interest
in the Russian constructivism movement,
or someone who admires Prokofiev, would
thoroughly enjoy his work. This Third
Quartet, in a single movement, displays
Roslavets’ aesthetic perfectly. It is
a vigorous, churning work, filled with
the composer’s characteristic machine-like
rhythms. The Chilingirian players give
it a biting edge, without sacrificing
their wonderful tone - not as oxymoronic
as it sounds. Some recordings of this
composer and his contemporaries are
recorded with a harshness that is very
fatiguing to the ear, but this clear
and mellow recording is incisive without
being unlistenable.
Dmitri Smirnov is happily
still with us, and his Quartet No.
2 begins with what sounds like Shostakovich,
before an eerie, hymn-like central section
inserts itself, while a violin skates
around nervously overhead, ending with
high note over pizzicati for
the rest of the group. In the second
part, the plucking resumes with a viola
solo floating above, and continues along
a melancholy path before its end.
Elena Firsova is also
a composer still writing, and her Fourth
Quartet too is in a single movement.
It opens with a gentle chord that then
separates as the instruments pursue
their individual paths, often traveling
with the intensity of Schnittke. Interesting
how so many composers have experimented
with so-called "extended techniques
for stringed instruments, and adopted
some of Schnittke’s poly-stylistic leanings.
The players intertwine in romantic,
ethereal lines, building into a pizzicati
interlude before returning to the slow-moving
haze. The work reaches a second intense
climax, followed by a return to the
pizzicati figures, and then the
last few minutes are filled with harmonics,
glissandi and trills, before a final
ascent that ends with a hush. Both Smirnov
and Firsova are in the compositional
camp of those who write work that straddles
the tonal and atonal, not bound by any
particular school of thought. Among
Schnittke’s many accomplishments, I
suspect one aspect of his legacy will
be his smashing open a few compositional
doors, setting an example that influenced
many others.
I can’t praise this
quartet enough, both for their warm,
colorful playing and for the enticingly
different, but well-considered program.
The sound quality is excellent – just
resonant enough to show the repertoire
and the four players at their best.
Bruce Hodges
Chilingirian Quartet: Levon Chilingirian (violin),
Charles Sewart (violin), Simon Rowland-Jones (viola),
Philip De Groote (cello) 
