OUT OF NEGLECT

'... I find them tremendously exciting.'

Roberto Gerhard's quartets -
with PETER LUNDIN

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In the second quartet Gerhard plays with the developments of the era. The constructional elements remain, and are small yet more evident, even though less integrated in the musical line. The beginning of the first movement reveals this [listen - track 5, 0:00 - 0:30]. Gerhard explores the sonorous possibilities of the medium. Each of the seven movements introduces a new quality, where texture is the most important. The beginning of part six is a good example [listen - track 10, 0:00 - 0:40]. There is a kinship here to the Xenakian world of the first quartet, even if Gerhard does not display the turbulence of Xenakis. Gerhard's second quartet is modern without being uninviting, yet persistent in demanding the listener's attention.

Throughout, the playing of the Kreutzer Quartet is authoritative, their advocacy important, and one hopes that the opportunity of playing these works in public will become more frequent.

The sound quality is welcoming with a nice resonance. Careful listening over headphones reveals plenty of detail, and in the silence between movements even a trace of somebody chatting outside the church in which the recording was made! As there's a third quartet, and the running time of this CD a mere 38 minutes, it is obviously a great shame that it was not included. No reason is given in the notes.

As a lover of string quartets I recommend this disc to others, particularly those who may have overlooked Roberto Gerhard's contribution to 20th century music.

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