The remarkable Takács Quartet has brought its laser-sharp focus to bear on a searing recording of Benjamin Britten’s three official string quartets for the Hyperion label.
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From the ghostly opening section of the String Quartet No. 1 to the plodding Passacaglia at the end of String Quartet No. 3, violinists Edward Dusinberre and Károly Schrantz, violist Geraldine Walther and cellist Adrás Fejér slice right to the essence of this music, which is a pointed need to convey an unsettled psyche in sound.
None of this can be called easy listening — but it is very rewarding listening if given a chance. And it’s difficult to imagine the music being played better than by the Takács Quartet. They find the delicate balance between being pointed and cutting too sharply, between conveying a message and cudgeling the listener, and between a delicate intimacy and losing the thread of the musical narrative. Their balance and control are remarkable.
Britten’s quartets are split between the 1940s — No. 1 dates from his American exile, in 1941, while No. 2 was written right after the smashing premiere of Peter Grimes — and the end of his life. The composer finished String Quartet No. 3 a year before he died — and did not live to hear its premiere by the Amadeus Quartet in December, 1976.
The string quartet is small enough to insist on intimacy, yet versatile enough to allow a composer wide latitude in creating different sounds and textures. In Britten’s case, his three string quartets serve as an absolute-music microcosm of of the deep, dark psychological journeys we encounter in his operas.
String Quartet No. 3 even contains direct musical quotations from Death in Venice.
The darker side of human nature rendered by 16 strings plucked and bowed with extreme focus and intention is as powerful as a night at the opera when performed with the force of the Takács Quartet.
You’ll find all the details and audio samples here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
