Smetana Quartet - Beethoven: Late String Quartets (1961-1971) [2020 3xSACD The Valued Collection Platinum]

The Smetana Quartet, a famous Czech group representing the latter half of the 20th century, visited Japan for the first time in 1958 as the first cultural envoy to restore diplomatic relations between Japan and Czechoslovakia. Having visited Japan, he was very familiar to us. During that time, more than 200 of their LP records have been released in Japan, including reissues, and they have won the Record Academy Award sponsored by Ongaku no Tomosha seven times. I was. In 1980 and 1985, "Ongaku no Tomo" magazine ranked the top 10 most popular string quartets by musicians such as Amadeus, Italia, Juilliard, LaSalle, and Alban Berg. It won first place both times, pushing aside its rivals. The two pillars of their repertoire were works from their native Czech Republic, such as Smetana, Dvořák and Janáček, and Beethoven in this set. This set was not recorded at once, but was recorded one song at a time. Known as a monumental masterpiece.
The reason why they like to play Beethoven is that it is ``a piece that is deeply connected with reason and emotion'' and ``a song that makes you think deeply about philosophy, aesthetics, and morals'', especially his late string quartet. It is a "self-portrait", that is, a "reflection of spirit and thoughts", and by playing these, he can give listeners "peace of mind and new vitality" ("Ongaku Gendai") November 1976 issue). Their efforts to express this deep content inherent in their work was astonishing. Since 1956, the members of the quartet have remained unchanged since 1956. Their daily routine in Prague is to gather at 8:00 a.m. every morning at the home of the cello Kochout and practice for five hours. It took me 6-7 weeks to memorize the new song. And even in the works that I have worked on many times in the past, I got used to it and did not try to play it, but I faced the performance after confirming the basics such as pitch, tone color, harmony, rhythm and tempo. It can be said that the fact that Beethoven in this set was recorded one by one after a while is exactly the manifestation of their strict attitude. And their ultimate appearance at that point is captured by beautiful analog stereo recording.

Recording began on No. 12 in 1961. After that, No. 13, No. 15, No. 16 followed, and No. 14 in 1970 completed the late string quartet recording once. The following year in 1971 they re-recorded No. 12. This re-recording board was not released for a long time, and it was finally released in Japan in February 1976 (LP part number: OQ7300). The 1961 recording was already on CD in the Czech Republic, but this is the first CD in Japan, and it can be compared with the 1971 recording, so it is very interesting to know their progress. The 1961 edition, which begins with a youthful, powerful, and joyful expression, is full of charm with direct expression, forward energy, and rich harmony. Occasionally, you can hear the chirping of birds outside, which makes me smile. On the other hand, the 1971 version does not overwhelm with strength and forwardness, and the expression is surprisingly detailed, not only enhancing the harmony, but also showing unexpected lightness at times. In addition to the famous performances of Nos. 13 and 15, which won the Record Academy Award, No. 14, which has an exceptional structure of 7 movements, and No. 16, where Beethoven wrote mysterious words, are changing. His ability to control the timbre, strength, tempo, and spacing of the phases with a variety of expressions, and to bring it all together as an organic whole is truly admirable.

As you know, from 1981 to 1985, the Smetana Quartet digitally re-recorded the same collection of songs one by one each year, and you can hear the performance that has increased in depth beyond the decline of the tone. I'm here. However, the musically fulfilling performance of this set, which was recorded in a period when both mind and technique were fully fulfilled, is exceptional. The ``permanent preservation'' of these masterpieces by converting them from the original masters to SACD with the latest technology is not only for gaining a deeper understanding of Beethoven's late string quartets, but also for reevaluating the great achievements of the Smetana Quartet. can be said to be extremely significant.

Tracklist:

Disc 1

String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127
01. I. Maestoso - Allegro (6:04)
02. II. Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile (14:49)
03. III. Scherzando vivace (6:34)
04. IV. Finale (6:02)
String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
05. I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo (6:01)
06. II. Allegro molto vivace (3:11)
07. III. Allegro moderato (0:47)
08. IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile (13:08)
09. V. Presto (5:31)
10. VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante (1:47)
11. VII. Allegro (6:31)



Disc 2

String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130
01. I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro (9:00)
02. II. Presto (2:07)
03. III. Andante con moto, ma non troppo (6:32)
04. IV. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai (3:24)
05. V. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo (6:13)
06. VI. Große Fuge (Grande Fugue op.133) (15:47)
07. New Finale: Allegro in B-flat major (9:41)
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
08. I. Allegretto (6:27)
09. II. Vivace (3:31)
10. III. Lento assai, cantante tranquillo (7:17)
11. IV. Grave ma non troppo tratto - Allegro (7:02)



Disc 3

String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
01. I. Assai sostenuto - Allegro (9:22)
02. II. Allegro ma non tanto (8:09)
03. III. Molto adagio (16:08)
04. IV. Alla Marcia, assai vivace (2:17)
05. V. Finale. Allegro appasionato (6:48)
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127
06. I. Maestoso - Allegro (6:11)
07. II. Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile (14:01)
08. III. Scherzando vivace (7:23)
09. IV. Finale (6:13)



Personnel:

Smetana Quartet

Recorded: Rudolfinum, Praha
April 1961 (6), September 27 & October 6, 1965 (3), January 23-28, 1967 (5),
October 25 - November 9, 1968 (4), June 22-29, 1970 (2), Studio recording, Praha
June 8 & 9, 1971 (1), Rudolfinum, Praha

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