The Decca label has
released this four disc set of chamber
music, entitled ‘A Celebration’,
in recognition of the thirtieth anniversary
season of the Grammy award winning Takács
Quartet.
The Takács was
formed in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy
in Budapest, Hungary by Gabor Takács-Nagy,
Károly Schranz, Gabor Ormai and
András Fejér, while all
four were students at the Academy. The
Quartets founder Gabor Takács-Nagy
left in 1993 to pursue a solo career
and the original violist Gábor
Ormai sadly died in 1995. Two Englishmen
joined the Takács Quartet, the
violinist Edward Dusinberre in 1993
and violist Roger Tapping in 1995. Of
the original ensemble, the Hungarian-born
violinist Károly Schranz and
cellist András Fejér remain.
At the time of writing
this review the Takács has announced
the departure of violist Roger Tapping.
Geraldine Walther, principal violist
of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra,
is to join the Quartet.
The Takács Quartet
is renowned for several award-winning
recordings on the Decca label. The double
CD set of Beethoven’s three ‘Rasumovsky’
Quartets, Op. 59 and the Quartet in
E flat Major, Op. 74, ‘Harp’
won an esteemed Grammy Award and the
prestigious Gramophone Award for Best
Chamber Performance in 2002.
Being a conspectus
of the career of the Takács Quartet,
‘A Celebration’ features both
the ‘original’ and ‘new’ Takács
line-ups. Guest artists on this set
include pianist Andreas Haefliger in
a superbly eloquent performance of the
Dvorák Piano Quintet, Op. 81
and cellist Miklós Perényi
in the great C major String Quintet,
Op. 163 of Schubert. A quick check has
revealed that surprisingly much of the
repertoire on this four disc set is
not available in the catalogues at this
present time.
Haydn String
Quartet in C major, Op. 76 No. 3
'Emperor' (1796-1797)
This work is the third
of the six Op. 79 String Quartets
that Haydn dedicated to Count Erdody.
They are acknowledged as being amongst
his greatest string quartets. The work
has become universally known as the
‘Emperor’ owing to the theme
in the second movement which is the
melody of the Austrian national anthem.
The original Takács
Quartet specialised in Haydn String
Quartets and perform the score with
considerable taste and discernment.
Especially well performed is the second
movement Poco Adagio, Cantabile in
a finely blended interpretation by the
Takács Quartet with plenty of
subtlety and wonderful expression. I
would not wish to be without this version
but my preferred recording is the celebrated
account from the Kodály Quartet
on Naxos 8.550314 c/w String Quartets
Op. 76/1 & 76/2.
Mozart Serenade
(No. 13) in G major for strings,
KV 525 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik'
(1787)
Written in 1787, the
same highly creative year as his opera
Don Giovanni K. 527, the loveable
serenade Eine kleine Nachtmusik
(A Little Night Music) has in
modern times become Mozart’s most familiar
and recognisable work, appreciated as
much in popular culture as by classical
music audiences. This jewel of eighteenth-century
Viennese classicism may well have been
intended merely as private entertainment
for Mozart’s intimate circle of friends.
Originally a five-movement piece, the
Minuet that followed the opening
Allegro is regrettably lost,
leaving Eine kleine Nachtmusik
in its familiar four-movement form.
The current Takács
Quartet perform it in the version for
String Quintet. They made the
recording straight after their Bartók
cycle in 1997. According to violist
Tapping the Decca label knew that the
Bartók set would be an artistic
success but they were worried it wouldn’t
sell too well and that the next release
would have to be something popular;
hence the release of the Mozart, Schubert’s
Trout Quintet and the Wolf Italian
Serenade all contained on Decca
4600342.
Augmented by the talents
of double bassist Joseph Carver the
Takács are simply sensational
in this lightly instrumented version
of the score. They play with an abundance
of Mozartian grace and charm with a
robust intensity when the score dictates.
One cannot fail to be impressed by their
admirably rhythmic and precise interpretation
of the final movement Rondo, Allegro.
With larger forces
using period instruments the version
from The English Concert under the direction
of Andrew Manze is the finest interpretation
of Eine kleine Nachtmusik that
I have heard. This wonderful recording
is available on a BBC Music Magazine
(Vol. 12 No.1) CD coupled with the Divertimento
in F, K.138 and the Adagio in
E for violin and orchestra, K.261.
This includes an audio commentary to
Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Andrew
Manze; containing musical examples.
Beethoven String
Quartet in A major, Op. 18 No. 5
(1798-1800)
New to the catalogues
is the second instalment of the Takács’
Beethoven cycle, the six ‘Lobkowitz’
String quartets, Op. 18, available on
the double set Decca 4708482. One of
the fruits of his first creative period
was Beethoven’s six Op. 18 quartets
which were composed as a result of a
commission by the dedicatee Prince Lobkowitz.
Although thoroughly grounded in the
Viennese classical world of Haydn and
Mozart the scores continually display
new attitudes, techniques and nuances
of expression.
The String Quartet
in A major is one of the most retrospective
of the Op. 18 set and is often said
to take most of its inspiration from
Mozart’s A major String Quartet K.
464. The present Takács are thoroughly
at home here and play as a single voice.
Their interpretation of the cheerful
opening Allegro movement is especially
well played with indomitable spirit
that illuminates every bar. My primary
recommendation for these Opus 18 scores
must go to the evergreen performances
from the Quartetto Italiano, that were
recorded between 1972 and 1975 and are
available on a triple CD set on Philips
464 071-2.
Dvořák
String Quartet in F major,
Op. 96 'American' (1893)
During
his stay in America from 1892 to 1895
Dvořák composed some of his finest
works and in 1893 he completed his famous
Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New
World’.
Dvořák spent his summer holidays
at a Bohemian colony at Spillville,
in Winneshiek County, Iowa where he
felt immediately at home and found great
happiness with his fellow countrymen.
Under these favourable conditions Dvořák
made a sketch of a String
Quartet in just three days. He wrote
at the end of the sketch: "Thanks
to Lord God, I am satisfied, it went
quickly." Within a fortnight,
he had finished his so-called ‘American’
String Quartet.
Dvořák’s score found instant acclaim
and its enduring popularity is largely
due to the lively rhythms, joyful
mood, predominant major keys, appealing
themes and a prevailing mood of contentment
and happiness.
The
Takács’ original Hungarian line-up had
I feel a special affinity with Dvořák’s
scores and they offer here a joyous
performance from 1989 that can
compete with the very best available.
Their ardent expressiveness and dazzling
rhythmic drive is most impressive and
I particularly enjoyed their splendid
interpretation of the folk-song like
melodies and dance rhythms in the final
movement. In a highly competitive market
perhaps the most critically acclaimed
account comes from the Hagen Quartet
on Deutsche Grammophon 419 601-2 c/w
the Cypresses and the Kodaly
String Quartet No.2. A version
that I have found especially satisfying
and have grown to love is the 1994 performance
from the Travnicek Quartet on Discover
DICD 920248 c/w the String Quartet
No.13 in G major, Op.106.
Smetana String
Quartet No. 1 in E minor ‘From
my Life’ (1876)
With writing of extraordinary
richness and exuberance Smetana’s String
Quartet No. 1 in E minor ‘From
my Life’ has been said to be the
first ever truly programmatic String
Quartet. The autobiographical narrative
nature is revealed in the String
Quartets’ subtitle ‘From my Life’,
although the music can stand quite well
on its own without one knowing the programme.
Smetana felt the programme to be a private
matter, however, he did provide written
commentary. As to the choice of the
Quartet medium, Smetana tellingly wrote
"in a sense it is private and
therefore written for four instruments,
which should converse together in an
intimate circle about the things that
so deeply trouble me."
This 1995 recording
of the Smetana and the Borodin String
Quartets was the first CD made by
the newly revived quartet with their
new line-up, after the departure of
Gabor Takács-Nagy and the death
of violist Gábor Ormai.
This interpretation
of the ‘From my Life’ Quartet is
perceptive and intelligent in the quartet’s
inimitable direct and polished style.
I love the way the players with intense
concentration and subtle control capture
the very inward expression of the third
movement Largo where Smetana
recalls, "the happiness of my
first love for a girl who later became
my devoted wife." Together
with this excellent version of the ‘From
my Life’ Quartet from the
Takács Quartet my joint first
choice is the acclaimed 1984 account
from the Talich String Quartet on Calliope
CAL 5690 c/w String Quartet No. 2
and Eight Polkas for String Quartet.
I have also for many years enjoyed and
would not wish to be without the 1977
analogue version of the ‘From my
Life’ Quartet from the Gabrieli
Quartet on Decca 430 295-2 c/w Janáček’s
String Quartet Nos. 1 and
2.
Borodin String
Quartet No. 2 in D major (1881)
Borodin dedicated his
to his wife. He composed the score in
an amazingly short time of two months
following a trip to Germany with Liszt.
The D major String Quartet, that
was written in one of the happiest periods
of Borordin’s life, is essentially a
love letter to his wife Ekaterina. In
the score, especially in the first and
third movements, the cello and violin
engage in an extensive dialogue. It
is an easy picture to imagine of Borodin,
the accomplished cellist playing together
with his wife as the violin.
The present Takács
Quartet display their talents in an
account that is brimming with character
and with beautifully judged shaping
of phrasing and dynamics. The famous
slow third movement Andante:
‘Nocturne’ is excellently played
with supreme confidence and considerable
sensuousness. I would not wish to be
without this account, however my preferred
version is from the Shostakovich Quartet,
at super budget price, on Regis RRC
1011 c/w String Quartet No. 1 in
A major.
Dvořák
Five Bagatelles, Op. 47
(1878)
The Five Bagatelles,
Op. 47 can be viewed as providing a
glimpse into the private world of Antonín
Dvořák, relaxing amongst his friends.
In 1878 Dvořák wrote this charming
suite of pieces for the unusual combination
of two violins, cello and harmonium.
Most suitable for use in this chamber
work, that was probably performed in
the parlour of the home of Dvořák’s
friend Josef Srb-Debrnov, the harmonium
had become a hugely popular household
instrument at the time as an alternative
to the piano. The five movement score
is performed by the original line-up
of the Takács Quartet with a
great sense of assurance and a surplus
of joy and exuberance and gets my vote
as a confident first choice.
Dvořák
Piano Quintet in A major,
Op. 81 (1887)
Biographer John Clapham
writes that the Piano Quintet in
A major, "probably
epitomizes more completely the genuine
Dvořák style in most of its facets
than any other work of his.”
The work displays Dvořák’s highly
personal form of expressive lyricism
and a personal utilization of elements
from Czech folk music. Characteristically
those elements include styles and forms
of song and dance, but not actual folk
tunes as Dvorák created
original melodies using an authentic
folk style.
The Piano Quintet
in A major
is a work of lovely melodies, and exciting
rhythms evoking the folk song and dance
of Dvořák’s native Bohemia. The
score has engendered a particular affection
among musicians based largely on their
respect for the solid musical structure.
In 1998 the present
line-up of the Takács was joined
by the pianist Andreas Haefliger for
the Piano Quintet. They are in impressive
form. Most listeners will respond favourably
to the vitality of the third movement
Scherzo and their secure grip
on thrilling finale. The slow
movement is perhaps somewhat wanting
in the ideal measure of passion and
the piano of Andreas Haefliger is focused
too far forward for my taste. The unforgettable
classic version by Clifford Curzon and
the members of the Vienna Philharmonic
String Quartet, that included Willi
Boskovsky as first violin, recorded
in 1962 on Decca 448 602-2 c/w Schubert
Quintet in A major, ‘Trout’,
D667 is unassailably the first choice
in this work; a recording that leaves
all other accounts in its wake.
Wolf Italian
Serenade in G major (1887)
The Italian Serenade
is Wolf’s only successful chamber-music
composition and started out as the first
movement of a projected suite for orchestra.
After completing fragments for two other
movements, Wolf abandoned the project
and adapted the first movement for String
Quartet. The main subject in the
score is a romantic melody that is derived
from an Italian folk-song that used
to be played in Italy on a pastoral
instrument called the piffero,
which was a type of oboe, now obsolete.
Recorded by the present
line-up of the Takács Quartet
in 1997 their delightful account of
the Italian Serenade ideally
displays musical sunshine and the quick
rhythms of Italian dance. There are
not too many version of the Italian
Serenade in the catalogues and I
have enjoyed the version from the Auryn
Quartett since its release 1999 on CPO
8067269 c/w String Quartet in D minor
and Intermezzo. However, the
present attractive version is now my
first choice.
Schubert String
Quintet in C major, Op. 163 D.956
(1828)
Described as, "as
one of the most pessimistic documents
in all chamber music", Schubert
wrote the score in 1828 for the unusual
combination two violins, viola and two
cellos. It is one of the true miracles
of all nineteenth century music. At
this time the composer was on the threshold
of death, sick in body and almost devoid
of spirit. Schubert searched deep into
his soul but with the String Quintet
in C major he could find only extreme
darkness and despair.
In Schubert’s heartbreaking
score the original Takács Quartet,
with the assistance of additional cellist
Miklós Perényi, offer
an alert and sensitive account that
gives beauty of tone and line together
with a structural mastery. As much as
I enjoyed this 1991 interpretation,
the superbly refined and highly moving
version by the Alban Berg Quartet, with
Heinrich Schiff, on EMI Classics 5 66890
2, from 1982, has to remain my clear
first choice.
Bartók String
Quartet No. 4, Sz 91 (1928)
The Takács Quartet’s
recording of Bartok’s six String
Quartets received the 1998 Gramophone
Award for chamber music and, in
1999, was nominated for a Grammy.
Bartók’s Fourth
String Quartet, which violist Roger
Tapping describes as, "one of
the more approachable of the six. We
have always been keen not to make it
sound abstract, stressing the beauty
of the slow movement, the humour of
the pizzicato one… The last movement
is not aggressive. It’s more a masque,
a ritual of battles and this is what
humanises it." Not surprisingly
this best selling account of the Fourth
has regularly been singled out by critics
as one of the highlights of the renowned
Takács Quartet’s recital programmes.
In this quartet we
see Bartók growing even more
abstract in thought and more concise
in his technique. Almost approaching
atonality, its contrapuntal flow entirely
offsets its lack of obvious themes.
In this 1996 recording from the present
Takács line-up there is a tremendous
conviction and vitality with remarkable
playing throughout. Despite the merits
of several top class versions the Takács
cannot be equalled in this repertoire.
Their double set of the complete Bartók
String Quartets on Decca 455
297-2 is essential listening.
In conclusion, this
is not just a run-of-the-mill compilation
album but a wonderful celebratory collection,
both in terms of the elevated standard
of the musical content and the superb
interpretations. Super sound quality
as we have come to expect from Decca
and the annotation is pretty good too.
A top class release worthy of considerable
praise. It would enhance any collection.
Michael Cookson
Takács Quartet (original line-up)a
Gabor Takács-Nagy (violin); Károly
Schranz (violin); Gabor Ormai (viola); András
Fejér (cello) 
