Journeys: Tchaikovsky - Souvenir de Florence; Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht
Emerson String Quartet; Paul Neubauer; Colin Carr
Sony 887254 70602
Firstly, I must admit my prejudice against the Emerson String Quartet initiated by a keen
disappointment and lingering dislike of their Beethoven String Quartets cycle of the mid-1990s issued by DG. To my ears, those coldly efficient, shiny performances displayed no empathy at all for the human being behind the scores. So it was with some trepidation that I approached this new CD, recorded just last year, but the interpretations are exemplary!
Verklärte Nacht is a particular favourite of mine, both in the original sextet version of 1899 and the opulent version for string orchestra revised in 1943. There is also a version for piano trio by Eduard Steuermann, a pupil of Schoenberg, of which several performances are available. The Emersons are right on the mark here. Their towering performance is completely focused with impeccable ensemble. Sensitive to every nuance and reading between the notes, the group appears to be totally absorbed by the beauty of the score and, just maybe, mindful of the melodrama and imagery of the Richard Dehmel poem that inspired it. Arguably, this performance sweeps the board.
Souvenir de Florence is an exhilarating, less familiar four-movement sextet by Tchaikovsky. It enjoys the same attention from the players who turn in a solid and joyous performance of this beautifully decorated score that will surely convert new listeners into fans of this captivating, abundantly energetic opus.
The recording producer and engineer, Da-Hong Seetoo deserves an award for achieving such stunning realism and immediacy with apparent ease. This is an inspired disc that belongs on your shelf.
