Zoltán Kodály - String Quartets (Dante Quartet)

Information

Composer: Zoltán Kodály

• String Quartet No. 1, Op. 2
• Intermezzo for string trio
• Gavotte
• String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10

Dante Quartet

    Krysia Osostowicz, violin

    Giles Francis, violin

    Rachel Roberts, viola

    Richard Jenkinson, cello

Date: 2014

Label: Hyperion

-----------------------------------------------------------

Review

Kodály’s two string quartets tend to linger under the shadow of the mighty ‘six pack’ that his compatriot Bartók wrote over a period of some 30 years. True, their language is less outspoken than Bartók’s and their expressive range is less adventurous, but they deserve more attention than they’ve so far received. The Second Quartet (1916 18) is the one closest in spirit and style to Kodály’s instrumental masterpiece, his Solo Cello Sonata, Op 8 (1915). And yet its angular, contrapuntally tangled opening anticipates Bartók’s Fourth Quartet by some 10 years. The folk element that both composers held so close to their hearts is most evident in the second and third movements, the former also alluding to Bartók’s haunting ‘night music’ episodes.

I’d say that overall Kodály’s style more approximates his compatriots Dohnányi or even Miklós Rózsa than Bartók, the shimmering closing minutes of the 1909 First Quartet’s Lento assai (from 9'05" into tr 2) alluding unmistakably to Dohnányi’s Serenade in C for string trio, which was composed five years earlier. The two shorter works make for attractive makeweights, the 1905 Intermezzo for string trio recalling the Russian school (Borodin in the outer sections, Shostakovich-in-embryo in the Trio), whereas the Gavotte suggests a Delian brand of melancholy. As to rival versions of the quartets, the gutsy Kontra Quartet (BIS) offer fine readings of both quartets but suffer from an excessively resonant recording; the Kodály Quartet (Hungaroton) are relatively underpowered, especially in the first movement of the First Quartet. Which makes this new CD a secure recommendation for both works.

— Rob Cowan

-----------------------------------------------------------

Zoltán Kodály (16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a prominent Hungarian composer. He was also an important figure who contributed heavily to music education in Hungary. As a composer, Kodály created an individual style that was derived from Hungarian folk music, contemporary French music, and the religious music of the Italian Renaissance. His notable works, many of which are widely performed, include Psalmus Hungaricus (1923), the opera Háry János (1926), Marosszék Dances (1930), Dances of Galánta (1933), Te Deum (1936), Concerto for Orchestra (1941), Symphony in C Major (1961), and chamber music.

***

The Dante Quartet plays at major venues, music societies and festivals throughout the UK, including at Wigmore Hall and Kings Place in London. The Quartet broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 and has also performed in Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. Since 2007, the Dante Quartet has been in residence at King’s College, Cambridge, giving masterclasses and collaborating with the renowned King’s College Choir. The Quartet runs its own chamber music course in west Wales and has also taught at various summer schools, including Dartington and Cadenza.

-----------------------------------------------------------