Notes and Editorial Reviews
The pairing of these delightful piano quartets might seem curious at first, but their diverse musical characters complement each other nicely, and the playing is superb
Strauss’s Piano Quartet is an early work, written in 1884 when he was 20. Remarkably assured, the composer’s voice is already audible, although the influences of Brahms and Wagner were still dominant. The first movement is overlong but improves as it progresses, the work’s main emphasis falling on the Andante, placed third. Its lyricism is nicely prepared by the Scherzo’s Trio section, but in a way radiates forwards and backwards through the entire piece and provides material for the lively finale. Just how advanced Strauss was for his age can be gleaned
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by comparing this work with one by his near contemporary and later rival, Sibelius: the E flat String Quartet (1885). Where the Bavarian’s invention already foreshadows the mastery of Don Juan, Sibelius’s Quartet gives no hint of Kullervo.
Joaquin Turina shares several career traits with Strauss: both are better known as orchestral composers, the reputations of both suffered under political clouds – Strauss for having held for a time an official position in Hitler’s Reich, Turina likewise in Franco’s Spain – and both died in 1949. Turina’s Quartet is a mature utterance, however, from 1931. Cast in three movements (slow, fast, not-so-fast), its Iberian character shines through every bar. It is a beguiling work, by turns languid and energetic, very well crafted, indeed a minor masterpiece.
The Lyric Quartet gives beautifully balanced accounts of these very different pieces, captured in demonstration quality sound. A fascinating disc, strongly recommended.
-- Guy Rickards, Gramophone [8/2000]
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Works on This Recording
1.
Quartet for Piano and Strings in C minor, Op. 13 by Richard Strauss
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Lyric Piano Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1883-1884; Germany
2.
Quartet for Piano and Strings in A minor, Op. 67 by Joaquin Turina
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Lyric Piano Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1931; Spain
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