Various composers: String Quartets by Opera Composers

“String quartets by Wagner, Puccini, Respighi, Verdi and Humperdinck” proclaims the cover (and the advance publicity). Does the mention of Wagner mean the discovery of his lost quartet from 1829? Unfortunately not, the disc actually features an Albumblatt dedicated to his wife, lasting 1’28”, but that is the only negative associated with this recording, which presents an enlightened selection of quartets written by opera composers around the turn of the century.

The real rarity is the Humperdinck. It is a melodic work, late Romantic in style, the opening Allegro Moderato reminiscent of late Schubert. The middle movement’s leisurely theme is somewhat unusually stated initially by solo viola, and the work closes with a lively but congenial dance. Humperdinck was an ardent admirer of Wagner, spending three years with him in Bayreuth, but the date of composition of this quartet is unknown. Puccini’s Crisantemi is an early work (1890), written after the failure of his first opera Edgar; some of its themes reappear in Manon Lescaut, the work with which he first rose to fame three years later. This is an innocent, wistful piece, charming yet infused with a sense of longing.

Quite different is another early work, Respighi’s Il Tramonto [The Sunset], a rhapsodic setting for soprano and string quartet of Shelley’s poem. The sonorous, impassioned playing of the Leipzig String Quartet and Ruth Ziesak’s vibrant and creamy-toned voice suit the music well. Verdi composed his String Quartet late in life, when he was 60. He was in Naples to oversee a production of Aida; the soprano fell ill and rehearsals had to be postponed, so Verdi made use of the unexpected down-time by writing this quartet. He only allowed it to be performed among his friends, and would not hear of having it published, although it is difficult to understand why. The quartet is a full-blooded work, as dramatic and theatrical as one might expect from this composer, in no way detracting from his stature. The slow movement is an unusual Andantino in triple time, the third movement incorporates an imaginative cello cantilena and the final movement opens with a complex fugue. The Leipzig Quartet plays here and throughout with both fire and delicacy, and the recorded sound is natural and vivid.