ADLER: String Quartet No. 8; Piano Quartet; String Quartet No. 9 – Esterhazy Quartet / Jerome Lowenthal, p. – Albany

by | Jan 12, 2014 | Classical CD Reviews

ADLER: String Quartet No. 8; Piano Quartet; String Quartet No. 9 – Esterhazy Quartet / Jerome Lowenthal, p. – Albany TROY 1426, 51:35 (7/1/13) ***:

Samuel Adler is not a household name but among musicians he has been a pervasive influence. He’s composed more than 400 works including 5 operas, 6 symphonies, 9 string quartets, works for wind band and many concerti.  He studied with Copland, Hindemith and Randall Thompson.

The disc under review contains the String Quartets 8 and 9, and the Piano Quintet.  The String Quartet No. 8 dates from 1988, and memorializes Andies Roodenberg, a friend who was a notable violinist. The composition started as a one-movement elegy, and became the work we hear today in four movements.

Next we hear the String Quartet No. 9. Written in 2010, it was commissioned by the Esterhazy Quartet to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It’s an energetic work, performed with enthusiasm by its dedicatees.  The CD also features the Piano Quintet featuring pianist Jerome Lowenthal. It is written in one movement with two distinct parts. The first section is slow and somber, introducing the melodies that will return in the animated second section.

The performances by the Esterhazy Quartet and Lowenthal are excellent, and the recording is good, but not of demonstration quality. I found the instrument images were a bit fuzzy, and the piano stretched unnaturally across my stereo speakers.

Adler’s music is quite interesting, and it is surprising his works have not had wider exposure outside the academic musical world. While clearly contemporary, these are accessible works that will reward listeners in search of something new. Other Adler recording appear on Naxos and CRI labels.

—Mel Martin

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