Arditti String Quartet, Elliott Carter - Elliott Carter: String Quartets Nos.1-4 / Elegy
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CD Details
Artist: Arditti String Quartet, Elliott CarterEdition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2005-05-24
Music Label: Et'Cetera
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- String Quartet No.1
- String Quartet No.4
- String Quartet No.2
- String Quartet No.3
- Elegy
Music reviews of Elliott Carter: String Quartets Nos.1-4 / Elegy
Music Review: Carter's string quartets are often excellent examples of his original stylings in harmony and rhythm
Rating: 4 Stars
Elliott Carter's string quartets have come at key moments of his career and often have heralded some important stylistic evolution. That's why this recording where the Arditti Quartet performs is so important for fans of the composer. The lineup of the Ardittis here are Irvine Arditti and David Alberman on violins, Levine Andrade on viola, and Rohan de Saram on cello.
The String Quartet No. 1 (1951) marked the beginning of Carter's mature career as a brazen modernist. Cast in three movements, this is music constantly on slippery metrical slopes with astringent harmonies. But what sounds so wild and out there at the beginning of hearing this collection sounds remarkably tame and traditional if you go back to it after hearing the later string quartets, especially the last movement "Variations" which approaches the "kinder, gentler modernists" who arose in the '70s and '80s.
It's with the String Quartet No. 2 (1959) that we find Carter's mature style, where instrumental lines are maximally separated in order to create the atmosphere of a dialogue. This is often called Carter's masterpiece, and it won a load of prizes, but I just don't enjoy it much at all. It just meanders. However, the String Quartet No. 3 (1971) is very impressive. It has the ensemble seated apart, split into two duos (violin and viola, violin and cello) which stay entirely in their own metrical and harmonic universes. It is a piece of constant action, sure to entertain if you are a fan of Carter's other busy pieces like the Piano Concerto. The String Quartet No. 4 (1986) has often been called the most enigmatic of all Carter's quartets, but I like it a lot. Though cast in a single movement, it consists of many varied sections, and abounds in references to the classical tradition. This work of Carter's late period also has much clearer textures, but with the same sense of rhythmic zest.
Elliott Carter's string quartets are often touted as the quartets to beat all others in the latter half of the 20th century, but I warn you that not all will find these the cat's meow, even if you enjoy a steady diet of modernism. Personally, I get more from Per Norgard's Fifth, Gubaidulina's Second, or Rihm's Third than any of the Carter quartets. And in fact, I find Carter's most entertaining string quartet to be the Fifth, which appeared a few years after this recording (the Ardittis perform it on a Naive/Montaigne disc). That's why I give the collection four starts instead of five, to try to tone down the hype.
Description of Elliott Carter: String Quartets Nos.1-4 / Elegy
IRCA (USA); Prix de l'Academie Charles Cros. KTC 2507 has been noted as a BBC Music Magazine Benchmark Recording for this repertoire.Elliott Carter is hailed as the 'master quartet builder of our time'. These astonishing quartets continue to impress - just as Carter has described his personal reaction to Bach's cantatas, they are a central musical experience of the late twentieth-century. These recordings by the Arditti Quartet were made under the auspices of Elliott Carter himself.
The Arditti Quartet enjoys a world-wide reputation for their spirited and technically refined interpretations of contemporary and earlier 20th century music. Several hundred works have been written for the ensemble since its foundation in 1974 which have left a permanent mark on 20th century repertoire and have given the Arditti Quartet a firm place in music history. The ensemble believes that close collaboration with composers is vital to the process of interpreting modern music and attempts to work with every composer it plays.
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