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Fanfare
Magazine (B) BRAHMS
Complete Chamber Music for Strings, BRAHMS Quartets, op. 51 Penderecki String Quartet ECLECTRA ECCD-2054 (70:01): On CDs and in actual concerts too we've had quite a run of Brahms quartet performances of late; this release, featuring violinists Jeremy Bell and Jerzy Kaplanek, violist Christine Vlajk, and cellist Paul Pulford, must be counted among the best of the recent entries in an increasingly crowded field. Eclectra's 1999 recordings of the two op. 51 quartets are said to be the first volume of a complete edition of Brahms's chamber music for strings. The recorded sound is outstanding, and the performances are engaging examples of what some might view as traditional approaches to these scores. Others have found greater drama, presented wider dynamic contrasts, and generated more excitement through a combination of brisker tempos and greater incisiveness, but these renditions work altogether admirably and stand up well to repeated listening. (One of the downsides of such leisurely approaches is that one cannot--without cuts or omissions--fit all three quartets onto a single CD). Like the Emerson String Quartet's, the Penderecki's violinists alternate in the principal's seat--Kaplanek is first in op. 51/1 and Bell leads in op. 51/2. This is less and less a gimmick and more and more seen as a way to enhance artistic satisfaction for the players, which in turn tends to keep the ensemble's music-making at higher levels than might otherwise be the case. It work for the Emerson, and it clearly works for the Penderecki as well. I'm
not prepared to abandon the Colorado's or the Carmina's fairly recent
contributions to the discography, but when I feel the need for great
introspection I will surely turn to this new CD. |
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