In a well-sequenced and considered program, the Verona Quartet present three twentieth centenary works on their debut album ‘Diffusion’; in which string quartets from Leon Janáček, Karol Szymanowski and Maurice Ravel are placed alongside each other. The pieces are not chronologically arranged, the Janáček and Szymanowski — the opening and central works, date from the late-1920s, while Ravel’s only work in the genre — concluding the album, was written in 1903. On the surface, there may not be much to unite these three composers, but the textures, harmonies and rhythms of the quartets are complementary, but also sufficiently different to create a balanced and unified sequence.
The sound of the Verona Quartet is distinctive. They don’t have the same vibrancy as the Pavel Haas, the variety of the Royal Quartet or the impetuous Quatuor Ebène, All excel in this repertoire. The Verona Quartet’s sound is more muted, with a lighter vibrato and narrower dynamic range, which sadly reduces the emotional impact on occasions, especially in the Janáček.
In ‘Intimate letters’, Janáček’s second quartet, they show technical assurance and good chemistry, but the first movement lacks the vast range of color the Pavel Haas Quartet deliver with abundance. The Verona players convincingly highlight the folk-inspired elements in the inner movements, yet without the same dramatic contrasts the Pavel Haas members project.
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In Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 2, the cooler sound of the Verona doesn’t allow the textures of the music to come through. In the first movement, the inner lines don’t have an impact, not aided by a brisker interpretation of the tempo indication. The more cautious approach to the scherzo doesn’t quite have the necessary impetus to fully capture the folk-like dance qualities. The sparse vibrato used in the final Lento reduces the expressive nature of this slow movement. The Royal Quartet, who have made a substantial reputation in twentieth-century repertoire, just shine here, their textures sparkle, rhythms have buoyancy and they find a vocal-like quality to their playing.
The more familiar Ravel has a briskly paced opening movement, but lacks the sweetness of the first violin and later the viola, which is needed to evoke the sophisticated and elegant sound-world of the French Impressionists. There is a rather week power struggle between the first violin and viola in the second movement, which loses the needed intensity. The third and final movement doesn’t capture the delicate colors of Ravel’s music sufficiently well, making them rather muted affairs. For comparison, turn to Quatuor Ebène, who bring an expressive and vivacious drive, or to the Belcea Quartet, which provide more sweetness and naive beauty.
The recording is sufficiently distanced, preventing any extraneous noise. But Sauder Concert Hall of Goshen College has marginally dry acoustics, resulting in the more expressive moments lacking radiance, space and expressive detail. The booklet is rather scant on detail; A brief note is given to the programming, but no notes about the pieces are presented. This is rather disappointing and unhelpful, as the works by Janáček and Szymanowski are not the most familiar works to many listeners, and alternative background information has to be sourced elsewhere. I could also live without the font used on some of the titles, which is highly stylish but virtually unreadable.
The unity of approach and color of the Verona Quartet is to be acknowledged, but the textures in the music don’t always have the distinction that the works demand, preventing the listener from sufficiently distinguishing between each composer’s unique sound world (this is especially true to Janáček and Szymanowski). This album is a rather demanding listen at times, which lightens as the program progresses with the more familiar and tonally centered Ravel. An ambitious first release then, that sadly doesn’t quite pay off.
“Diffusion”
Janáček – String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Szymanowski – String Quartet No. 2, Op. 56
Ravel – String Quartet in Fa Major, M. 35
The Verona Quartet
Azica Records, CD 71339
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