ENTARTETE MUSIK

PETER LUNDIN listens to the
'undesired' quartets of Pavel Haas

<< Continued from page 3

The String Quartet No. 3, op 15 [1938], written after the triumph of his opera, the 'Charlatan', is a step up, musically. The quartet has a traditional three movement structure; the first in strict sonata form; the second weaving Moravian melodies and Jewish melismas with the traditional Saint Wenceslas chorale; the final is a 'thema con variazoni e fuga' where the final fugue shows a mature composer [listen - track 8, 7:09 - 8:10] . The textures here are much denser than in the previous quartets. There is an intrinsic allusion to the political darkening of the age (Hitler shaking arms, the engulfing of the Sudetes). Haas also draws on the quartet writing of the old masters, not least Dvorák but more so from his teacher Janácek. All three movements use fairly melodic material, all in minor keys. This quartet is musically closer to the quartets of fellow Theresienstadt composers Ullmann and Schulhoff. Here we find ourselves with a quartet that blend perfectly with the best of late romantic quartets.

With this quartet the Kocians resolutely show that they are a finely attuned group of string players. Their choice of tempi works perfectly. The sound quality on this disc is fine without being exceptional, it is quite closely recorded with few traces of being recorded in a church.

Summing up, this CD leaves me with somewhat mixed feelings. The first quartet gets an adequate performance; the second begs for something more. For the third quartet alone, this disc is worth acquiring. This is an important musical document of one of those who perished in the holocaust, and as such you should put it on your list of music to discover. I do not recommend it as an introduction to Entartete Musik, but would rather suggest this disc to someone who has passed beyond the degenerate introductory level.

To listen to the aural illustrations in this review, you may need to download RealNetworks' realplayer G2.