Oslo String Quartet (Geir Inge Lotsberg & Liv Hilde Klokk-Bryhn, violins; Magnus Boye Hansen, viola; Øystein Sonstad -cello).
Benjamin BRITTEN: String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 25
György LIGETI: String Quartet No. 1
Norwegian traditional: Når Mitt Øye, Trett Av Møye
OSQ01
Formats: digital
Release Date: November 8, 2024
Total Duration: 57:22
Giorgio Koukl | 8 OCT 2024
For the first time, the Oslo String Quartet has released a new album on its own label called OSQ. Learn to Wait offers a fine choice of early productions of Britten and Ligeti, combining it with a contemporary work by Nils Henrik Asheim written during the pandemic, giving the name to the whole release.
OSQ01 cover art (click to enlarge)
The four musicians — violinists Geir Inge Lotsberg and Liv Hilde Klokk, violist Magnus Boye Hansen, and cellist Øystein Sonstad — are well known on the international chamber music scene and, nowadays a rare feature, are playing for more than 30 years in a stable formation. You can add that they are well provided with first-class instruments, a fully present detail at every moment of this recording.
The program starts with Benjamin Britten. The String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, is one of his most substantial early works and reflects the unique fusion of traditional forms with his evolving modern style.
Britten composed the quartet in 1941 during his time in the United States, living in self-imposed exile from war-torn Europe. He completed it while staying in California. The quartet was commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, an American arts patron who had supported other major composers, including Bartók and Stravinsky.
The premiere took place on September 21, 1941, in Los Angeles. It was well-received and marked a turning point for Britten, cementing his reputation as a serious composer of chamber music. Britten was 27 at the time, and although he had already made a name for himself with works like Sinfonia da Requiem and Les Illuminations, this quartet demonstrated his growing maturity and command of the string quartet form.
Britten’s First String Quartet is part of his early exploration of instrumental music and chamber forms, but it also prefigures the more mature works he would write after returning to England, such as the Second and Third String Quartets (1945 and 1975, respectively). In particular, Britten’s use of texture, counterpoint, and rhythm in this work highlights his ability to create musical drama without relying on words, which would also be central to his later operas and vocal works. The four Norwegian musicians are especially noteworthy in the technically challenging quick movements; their cohesion is truly outstanding. But this score requires more:
As Britten was deeply influenced by his teacher, Frank Bridge, and one can hear Bridge’s lyrical influence in many places, especially in the slower movements, the need to be able to produce lyrical moments is paramount. Here, too, the Oslo Quartet delivers rarefied sound and a characteristic and beautiful shading well above the usual quartet level.
In the other youthful work, György Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1 (1953), we can follow a nice blending of 20th-century avant-garde techniques with a unique harmonic language. This quartet was composed when Ligeti was still heavily influenced by the early modernist trends of Eastern Europe, particularly the Second Viennese School, but it also displays his own personal voice that would become more pronounced in his later works.
Ligeti composed this quartet during his early years in Hungary, rooted in the post-World War II European context. At this time, many composers were exploring serialism and other modernist techniques. Ligeti’s use of these methods was both innovative and distinct from the more austere practices of other composers, which helped him find his own voice.
The quartet is divided into three movements:
- I. Adagio – Allegro: This movement is characterized by its dramatic contrast between the slow and fast sections. It blends intense, complex textures with a sense of dissonance.
- II. Andante: A more lyrical and contemplative movement, with rich harmonic textures.
- III. Allegro molto: The final movement is vibrant and energetic, with driving rhythms and intricate counterpoint.
The musicians are here at the top of their game: the sound of the ensemble, as well as the single instruments, is creating an extraordinary sound stage, blending the melody well with a noninvasive accompaniment.
The String Quartet no. 3 (“Learn to Wait”) by Nils Henrik Asheim (1960-), with its 10-minute duration, has some difficulties staying in such a dangerous company.
Notably, not much seems to have changed from the years when Britten and Ligeti were writing; we can follow the similar use of clusters, special bowing techniques, and flageolets. Anyway, it remains well under the level of the other two scores.
This album is yet another excellent example of the capacities of this ensemble and can be easily recommended to anyone interested in 20th-century music. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Oslo String Quartet: stringquartet.com
Read more by Giorgio Koukl.
