“Old World – New World” – DVORAK: String Quartets: No. 10 in E-flat, Op. 51; No. 11 in C, Op. 61; No. 13 in G, Op. 106; No. 14 in A-flat, Op. 105; String Quintet in E-flat, Op. 97, “American” – Paul Neubauer, viola/ Emerson String Quartet – DGG B0014106 (3 CDs), 71:18, 65:28, 69:03 ***** [Distrib. by Universal]:
There are almost too many recordings of the later Dvorak quartets that are recommendable to be able to set one above the other. The Guarneri to my mind has always occupied a prominent position in their interpretative largesse of the works, while the Panocha Quartet is a Czech ensemble that also has done remarkable things with this music recently. But the Emersons – of whom their earlier Quartet No. 12 (“American”) is one of my favorites (and coupled with Smetana) – now turn to their favorites among this series, the very last four quartets of the composer along with his “American” Quintet and the unique series of vignettes called “Cypresses”, derived from an early song cycle of the same name.
These are outstanding readings all, showing the Emerson to be at peak strength in this repertory, and I am not one that fawns over every release of theirs, having been quite critical about their Beethoven recordings. But here, despite some almost universal comments about steeliness of tone and “cold” approaches to certain musics—whether fairly or unfairly—they delve into a short cycle that proves them as adept as any quartet in the world at navigating Dvorak’s quirky stylistic meanderings. For these quartets were not done in bunches, but over a period of time starting in 1879 and completing them in 1895. His sojourn took him to America, to New York where he headed the National Conservatory of Music, to Spillville, Iowa on vacation where the “American” quartet and quintet appeared, and then back to Prague to write No. 13 and finish No. 14, which had actually been started in America and set aside.
There are a variety of styles in these works, from the Slavic-oriented No. 10 to the more classically considered C-major, the dark tinges of the G major to the overtly romantic leanings of his last effort. The Quintet is full of spiritual and popular song hints, the addition of the second viola adding a piquant and softly suggestive accent of the open American frontier. In 1865 Cypresses was penned, based on the poems of Gustav Pfleger-Moravsky, centering on the theme of unrequited love, something that the composer had a lot of experience with, particularly at this time. In 1887 he transcribed a dozen of them for quartet, keeping the melodic aspects of the score ensconced mostly in the violin and viola. It was not until 1957 that an authentic edition was published by his son-in-law Joseph Suk. These are wonderfully tuneful miniatures.
DGG’s sound is unusually lacking in their sometimes typical treble-oriented recordings, and they give the Emerson a broad sound stage with excellent depth and decent bass. This one now challenges the Guarneri’s authority in this music (and is suitably dedicated to them and particularly to the late David Soyer, cellist of the group) and takes its place among the finest exponents of this body of music.
— Steven Ritter
