Paul Hindemith - String Quartets Vol. 2 (Amar Quartet)

Information

Composer: Paul Hindemith

• String Quartet No. 5, Op. 32
• String Quartet No. 6 in E flat major
• String Quartet No. 7 in E flat major

Amar Quartet

    Anna Brunner, violin

    Igor Keller, violin

    Hannes Bärtschi, viola

    Péter Somodari, cello

Date: 2012

Label: Naxos

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Review

This second volume in Naxos’ series of the complete Hindemith quartets contains two of the composer’s largest and best works in the medium. The Fifth Quartet (1923) represents an apotheosis of the composer’s early, experimental phase. The music is chromatic and relentlessly contrapuntal, but also brilliant and even fun (in its third movement). It culminates in an imposing passacaglia that, like the opening double fugue, is remarkably easy to follow while at the same time sounding amazingly modern.

The Sixth Quartet dates from 20 years later, but like its predecessor it can be said to summarize the more lyrical, tonal, mature idiom of the composer’s American period. Sample the gorgeous theme of the work’s third-movement variations (sound clip), one of Hindemith’s most captivating inspirations. The brief Seventh Quartet is altogether lighter, a diverting work written for the composer to play with his wife and students. Surely its premiere performance wasn’t as fine as this one.

As with the previous releases in this series, the performances are all outstanding. The Amar Quartet, named after Hindemith’s own ensemble of the early 20th century, plays this music with a proprietary gusto worthy of the name. All of these pieces are, as already noted, highly contrapuntal—even the genial Seventh Quartet ends with a canon; but the playing here never sounds dry or mechanical, and the sonics are first rate. Connoisseurs of chamber music will find this disc an endless source of pleasure.

— David Hurwitz

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Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 – 28 December 1963) was a German composer and theorist. Studied in Frankfurt, he gained early experience as a violinist and became a prominent composer by the late 1920s. His works range from chamber music and song cycles to operas such as Mathis der Maler. He taught in Turkey, the United States and Switzerland. Opposed to twelve-tone techniques, he sought to revitalize tonality, developing his own harmonic theory, outlined in The Craft of Musical Composition. Hindemith also promoted Gebrauchsmusik ("utility music"), viewing composers as craftsmen serving social needs

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The Amar Quartet, currently comprising Anna Brunner, Matthias Alexander Bruns, Izabel Markova and Xavier Pignat, is an internationally recognized ensemble closely associated with the legacy of Paul Hindemith. Named in honor of Hindemith's original 1922 quartet, the group has demonstrated a strong commitment to his works, including recording all seven string quartets for Naxos. The quartet has established a prominent presence in Switzerland through initiatives such as the "Homage to Hindemith" festival. Trained by the Alban Berg Quartet, they actively contribute to music education through masterclasses worldwide.

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