Customer Reviews

Hindemith: Complete String Quartets

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It's hard to believe that this cycle of quartets isn't better known and played more. Poor Hindemith has a reputation for writing dull, academic sounding compositions--something this music clearly refutes.

The best pieces here are the 3rd and 4th quartets (#s 2 and 3 under the more common numbering system NOT used by CPO), but all reward careful listening.

The Danish Quartet may not be a world class ensemble, but they give enthusiastic renditions of these forgotten gems and the sound is decent. CPO generously provides 3 CDs for the price of 2. Don't be afraid to dive in, this is a very enjoyable release.

A previous reviewer correctly noted that CPO did not number these quartets in the conventional manner. That's due to the fairly recent (mid-1990s) discovery of the actual First Quartet (opus 2) by Hindemith, which had hitherto been classified as a lost work. It only makes sense to renumber them all in light of that rediscovery. One can grasp the evolution of Hindemith's style by working through the pieces in sequence (a very rewarding experience). It's hard to imagine any ensemble performing these works better than the Danish Quartet has done here -- it's no wonder that this album had won a prestigious prize in Germany. These players think as one, so synchronized are both the phrasing and dynamics. Hindemith benefits from this high level of commitment. The two earliest works just barely suggest a 20th-century aesthetic, being riveted to the extant legacy in this genre. From the 3rd quartet and beyond, these works are forward-looking. Hindemith's commitment to tonal principles is most obvious in the later works, where conservatism meshes with inventiveness and a fair share of effortless counterpoint. All in all, an outstanding buy, and a potential wellspring of surprise to those ready to write off Hindemith as a stuffy academician.

The late Hans Keller regarded Hindemith as one of the few composers able to produce what he called 'intrinsic' quartets, that's to say quartets addressed in the first place to the player (the listener being, as Keller put it, "a more or less welcome eavesdropper"). This collection includes the recently re-discovered early work in C major. The performances are technically and musically excellent. As a previous reviewer has noted, there is much to be said for listening to them in the order in which they were composed, so as to follow the development of Hindemith's style over a period of three decades.

The first quartet, a student work, shows the influence of Brahms and Dvorak. It overflows with attractive melody but is heavily scored, with much double-stopping and virtually no rests. As a result, it sounds in places more like a sextet than a quartet. Disappointingly, this performance omits the repeat in the first movement. By the last (7th) quartet, written in 1945, Hindemith's writing had become more economical and transparent in texture, harking back to the great quartets of Haydn.

These are masterly compositions, displaying Hindemith's melodic gift in a way that will astonish anyone tempted to dismiss him as the author of forbidding 'Gebrauchsmusik'. Although they may indeed be 'intrinsic' quartets, addressed primarily to the player, they are in most cases so difficult to play that they are likely to prove well beyond amateur capabilities. Even those that Hindemith - himself a professional quartet player - regarded as relatively simple are technically fiendish. Those of us who must content ourselves with 'eavesdropping' are fortunate to be able to explore this underrated cycle of 20th century quartets through such a fine and reasonably priced collection of recordings.

I also happen to think this is a fantastic recording, both in terms of sound quality and virtuoso performance. I think my differences with some of my fellow reviewers only serve to enhance the interest for this CD. First, I think the Danish Quartet IS a world-class ensemble, and second, the 2nd quartet is my absolute favorite. This CD shows the unsurpassed pleasure obtained from a good string recording. If string instruments are out of tune and handled by second-rate performers, they are awful, but in the hands of the Danish quartet, they are out of this world.

Musicians always say Hindemith is more fun to play than to listen to, and I think that's partially true. I think his orchestral works are generally a pleasure to play and to hear, but I think his chamber music can be a challenge to sit through without a score. Some of his string quartets aren't easy to get through -- they tend to be very academic and it's clear the man loved his fugues and counterpoint. Most of his chamber music suffers without a full orchestra to provide more color or timbral textures. They can get a little bland.

That said, the performances here truly sparkle. I can't imagine performances more committed or impassioned. The 7th String Quartet hums along as if the Danish Quartet has been playing it all their lives, and the 1st String Quartet comes off as unmistakably Hindemith even if it has traces of Dvorak in it. I'm not a fan of the 2nd String Quartet -- I think it rambles on far too long; it's hard to squeeze blood out of a turnip. I esepcially like his later quartets -- they're concise and show Hindemith at the height of his creativity.

Unlike another reviewer's comment, I believe these are clearly NOT among the best string quartet cycles written in the 20th century. Those honors belong to Bartok, Shostakovich, Elliott Carter, and Schoenberg. Then one must pass by Martinu, Villa-Lobos, Milhaud, and Britten before we start reaching Hindemith's little gems. This isn't to say they're not good. ALL of those sets are worth getting to know. I just wouldn't claim Hindemith's quartets to be history-altering works when other quartets that happen to be more firmly entrenched in the repertoire are.

I like the set, love the performances. It's just a shame that his string quartets aren't as strong or vibrant as his orchestral works or Kammermusik.