Chiaroscuro Quartet

[Schnitger]

I've recently discovered this young quartet through their new recording of Beethoven's 10th and 13th string quartets. They play on instruments with gut strings and with 19th century bows.

It's something of a revelation for me. Quite apart from the rich warmth of the gut strings, the interplay between instruments and Beethoven's counterpoint seems clearer and more nuanced. Some of this will be the musicianship, but the instruments must play a part.

I just don't know why this hasn't become a more widespread phenomenon amongst quartets.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/37d7d85b4bfe0689ccda9316e6f1d9b42dc63a51/0_0_1417_1417/master/1417.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=64ac307822fad553efac72759c1ae3f6

 

[mandryka]

I think playing with gut strings has become more widespread in 18th and 19th century music, but for some reason less so in Beethoven, especially after op 18 -- I'm certainly pleased to see Chiaroscuro Quartet tackling op 130 now though, even if they chickened out of playing the Grosse Fugue. I'd love to hear what they could make op 131.

The Harp Quartet is a very attractive bit of music I think.

Try their Haydn op 20, I remember really enjoying it when it was released, as I was by the Mozart quartets they recorded -- I haven't heard their other stuff on record, though I have in concert a couple of times (some Bach transcriptions I remember, and maybe some Mendelssohn.)

 

[ciderglider]

I too am curious to know why original instruments are less prevalent in chamber music than orchestral. Maybe in chamber music the individual instruments are more exposed, and and vagaries in intonation are more obvious.

 

[lawrence001]

I'm not sure they are, I've been listening to period trio sonatas and quartets, up to Haydn at least, for 30 years.

The Salomon Quartet were my favourite performers in the 80s and 90s.

Salomon Quartet on Hyperion Records

www.hyperion-records.co.uk

 

[mandryka]

I too am curious to know why original instruments are less prevalent in chamber music than orchestral. Maybe in chamber music the individual instruments are more exposed, and and vagaries in intonation are more obvious.

One thing I've heard people say is that original instruments make less of a difference in 19th century music. I don't believe that myself. In Brahms, for example, I thought Leila Schayegh's recording of the violin sonatas was a revelation, as was Dudok Quartet's Brahms quartets. This is partly because both took the trouble to explore how Brahms would have expected performers to embellish his scores, but also because their touch, phrasing and intonation were influenced by their instruments. Same for Lisa Marie Landgraf's survey of Schumann's violin music.


In late 19th century music original instrument are less commonly recorded -- Schumann and Brahms. In Mozart and Haydn too, original instruments are less common, but they are more common than in Brahms and Schumann. Beethoven is a sort of mid point I guess, I don't know much about Schubert's chamber music on record.

 

[lawrence001]

One thing I've heard people say is that original instruments make less of a difference in 19th century music. I don't believe that myself. In Brahms, for example, I thought Leila Schayegh's recording of the violin sonatas was a revelation, as was Dudok Quartet's Brahms quartets. This is partly because both took the trouble to explore how Brahms would have expected performers to embellish his scores, but also because their touch, phrasing and intonation were influenced by their instruments. Same for Lisa Marie Landgraf's survey of Schumann's violin music.


In late 19th century music original instrument are less commonly recorded -- Schumann and Brahms. In Mozart and Haydn too, original instruments are less common, but they are more common than in Brahms and Schumann. Beethoven is a sort of mid point I guess, I don't know much about Schubert's chamber music on record.

I think it makes more of a difference (including historic practice with original instruments) as most modern instrument ensembles have taken on board much of the practice like reducing vibrato when playing baroque music but still seem to add it to late classical and early romantic pieces.

Another example is rubato, I used to think it should be avoided in most of the baroque repertoire (excepting for example solo sonatas with more individual expression, or program music like the Four Seasons) but as I've got older I think it has a place. Whether that is the result of changing practice in historical performance I'm not sure. I'd find this book interesting.

Stolen Time: The History of Tempo Rubato

Abstract. The history of tempo rubato (‘stolen time’) is as old as music itself, composers and performers ever introducing expressive fluctuation of the te

academic.oup.com

 

[mandryka]

I think it makes more of a difference (including historic practice with original instruments) as most modern instrument ensembles have taken on board much of the practice like reducing vibrato when playing baroque music but still seem to add it to late classical and early romantic pieces.

Another example is rubato, I used to think it should be avoided in most of the baroque repertoire (excepting for example solo sonatas with more individual expression, or program music like the Four Seasons) but as I've got older I think it has a place. Whether that is the result of changing practice in historical performance I'm not sure. I'd find this book interesting.

Stolen Time: The History of Tempo Rubato

Abstract. The history of tempo rubato (‘stolen time’) is as old as music itself, composers and performers ever introducing expressive fluctuation of the te

academic.oup.com

I only really know about keyboard music, but as far as I recall tempo rubato is explicitly discussed in their introductions by Froberger, Frescobaldi and Francois Couperin., Rhythmic rubato -- agogic hesitations -- is an important aspect of harpsichord technique, where you can't use dynamic changes to draw attention to a note or short phrase.

I'll check out the book, thanks.

 

[lawrence001]

Yes when I said solo sonatas as an example I was thinking of violin but keyboard is a more obvious example, kind of went without saying

 

[jandl100]

One thing I've heard people say is that original instruments make less of a difference in 19th century music. I don't believe that myself. In Brahms, for example, I thought Leila Schayegh's recording of the violin sonatas was a revelation.... This is partly because both took the trouble to explore how Brahms would have expected performers to embellish his scores, but also because their touch, phrasing and intonation were influenced by their instruments.

Thanks for the heads up about the Schayegh Brahms violin sonatas recording.
I'm listening to it now.

My goodness the phrasing and articulation are so different from what I am used to!
Quite intriguing. Normally I rather struggle with these sonatas but these recordings make sense of the music in a way that is very rare in this repertoire imo.
...Possibly the best performances of the Brahms sonatas I have heard, joining the ancient Menuhin Kentner on the podium.

I've bookmarked several other of her recordings for future listening.