David Matthews: Complete String Quartets, Volume Three
The American critic Robert Reilly described the music on Volume One of this cycle of the complete string quartets of David Matthews (b. 1943) as 'some of the most concentrated, penetrating writing for this medium in the past 30 years or more. It is musical thinking of the highest order and quartet writing in the great tradition of Beethoven, Bartok, Britten, and Tippett'. This third CD in the series presents the first three works in the cycle — the Second influenced by The Who and Velvet Underground — together with an early contrapuntal study and the first of Matthews' arrangements for string quartet.
Kreutzer Quartet, string quartet
Peter Sheppard Skærved, violin
Mihailo Trandafilovski, violin
Morgan Goff, viola
Neil Heyde, cello
Listen To This Recording:
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String Quartet No. 1, Op. 4 (1969–70, rev. 1980)
- Adagio –
- Molto vivace –
- Adagio –
- Poco allegro: con tenerezza –
- L’istesso tempo: con rubato e molto intenso –
- Allegro
- I Sonata: Allegro flessibile
- II Scherzo: Very rhythmic and strict in tempo
- III Elegy: Lento
- I Allegro animato –
- II Andante tranquillo –
- III Largo e sostenuto
- Mirror Canon (1963)
- Prelude, Op. 74, No. 4 (1972)
String Quartet No. 2, Op. 16 (1974–76)
String Quartet No. 3, Op. 18 (1977–78)
International Record Review :
‘…Coming almost midway between the generations of Dohnányi, Bartók and Kodály on the one hand, then Ligeti and Kurtág on the other, his music failed to make the transition from critical respect to more general acclaim – though now that the aesthetic demarcations prevalent during the second half of the twentieth century are of lesser consequence, there is no good reason why his extensive output should not be revived. The present disc, with all three of Veress’s works for or involving string quartet, offers a decent idea of what his creativity is about. …this release is currently the best entry point into Veress’s music.’
—Richard Whitehouse, International Record Review
International Record Review :
‘… In all three pieces, the Kreutzer Quartet plays with its customary insight and commitment. … Both the immediate sound and the composer’s informative notes are comparable to earlier volumes (reviewed in September 2010 and July/August 2012), while the fill-ups – a whimsical Mirror Canon (1963) arranged 48 years later and a smouldering (1972) transcription of the fourth from Scriabin’s valedictory set of Préludes – underline Matthews’s prowess within the string quartet domain.’
—Richard Whitehouse, International Record Review
MusicWeb International :
‘The quality on display here in these early pieces is very striking and I for one will be investigating more of his output.[…]these three pieces are very impressive, very listenable yet complex and satisfying. […]
Throughout this disc the Kreutzer Quartet have all the complexity well under control. What an impressive group of musicians they are. Their discography shows a devotion second to none to the twentieth century British and American quartet repertoire. Clearly this David Matthews cycle is in safe hands. The engineers have done a good job. The stereo picture is well spread between the speakers.
Do not be misled, as I was initially, by the photograph on the CD cover, of this white-haired gentleman sitting on a park bench. This music is strong and emotionally complex. A reminder that less prominent composers might well not deserve that status.’
—Dave Billinge, MusicWeb International
Gramophone :
‘David Matthews’ purposeful, imaginative and inventive music has rightly gained its own following, which the Kreutzer Quartet’s excellent cycle of his strings quartets (14 numbered examples to date) is doing much to consolidate. […]
Lithe, agile performances from the Kreutzer Quartet, cleanly recorded, five a strong sense of Matthews musical profile and bode well for the (presumable two) remaining volumes.’
—David Fanning, Gramophone, January 2015