Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ‘From My Life’ (1876)
String Quartet No. 2 in D minor (1882-83)
The Bartered Bride, JB 1:100: Dance of the Comedians (1866, transcr. Petr Holman)
Zemlinsky Quartet
rec. 2024, MotorMusic Studios, Mechelen, Antwerp, Belgium
Evil Penguin Classic EPRC0069 [53]

There is no lack of competitive recordings of this famous brace of quartets and the first, From My Life, has been particularly frequently recorded, not necessarily with No. 2, but often with Dvořák’s American quartet, making an appealing duo of Czech masterpieces. On my shelves, I have the Wihan and Tokyo String Quartets playing that Smetana-Dvořák pairing and the Lindsays delivering the two quartets here – and both they and the Wihan throw in some Dvořák bon-bons for good measure.

Here, on this new release, the bonus is a transcription of the Dance of Comedians from the opera The Bartered Bride, making it an all-Smetana programme.

My first observation in comparison with other accounts is that the Zemlinsky Quartet takes a considerably more leisurely approach to both quartets: in the first, they take two or three minutes longer than the Tokyo and the Lindsays; in the second, they are again two minutes slower than the Lindsays. That is quite a lot in relatively short pieces of chamber music; the opening movement of the first is particularly slow; the Wihan Quartet in their account display virtually identical timings and I remarked in my review that “the Wihan adopt more somewhat leisurely speeds than most, yet their phrasing and attack are more robust than, for example, the more restrained Tokyo” and suggested that the refinement and restraint of the Lindsay and Tokyo Quartets were marginally preferable. Noting comparative durations of movements and works overall is of course essentially neutral; intensity of phrasing and application of tonal colour and dynamics are much more germane criteria, and the Zemlinskys bring with them the supposed advantage of being native Czech.

They have a wonderfully rich, dark timbre, and intonation and unity are impeccable, but right from the start their demeanour sounds too homogeneous; I miss the bite, drive and nervous energy I hear in accounts by the Lindsays and for me, they are simply too smooth and urbane in that frenetic, desperate, highly dramatic opening. Furthermore, their frequent, quite overt use of rubato sounds to my ears exaggerated – indeed, at times, affected. I hear more passion in the Tokyo’s delivery, which is laced with a slight, delicious portamento, while the gustier, earthier, more “period” sound produced by the Wihan – also Czech – is much more stirring. I think that the decision by the Zemlinksy Quartet to take more time over their phrasing has resulted in a degree of enervation; it simply isn’t very exciting. The Lindsays deploy more dynamic variety, too, and their sound has a rawer, harsher edge to it, which I like, as it lends this frequently “distressed” music greater impact.

Obviously my reservations apply less to the two inner movements of From My Life, where the Zemlinsky’s manner is more apt for the cheerful, folksy mood of the Polka and the swooning lyricism of the Largo – yet in the second movement, again it is the Lindsays who are more alert and characterful, bringing out the wit, lilt and charm of the music more vividly. Unlike the first movement, a certain agogic freedom here pays dividends, whereas perversely the Zemlinksy now apply far less of that. What the Wihan lack in tenderness in the Largo, is compensated for by passion; the Zemlinksy don’t really tap the wells of anguish in the central section as deeply and although the opening cello solo is commendably dark and mysterious, the ensuing love music is simply too loud and deliberate, lacking tenderness; the Tokyo are more refined. Perhaps the closeness of the recording amplifies that lack of delicacy in this new issue; otherwise the sound is excellent in terms of balance and fullness.

The finale is very competently executed and the key moment when the whistling top E signals the composer’s deafness comes off well – but then I turned again to the Lindsays and registered more spring and exuberance in their rendering; the Wihan are a little heavy and conversely the Tokyo are too “quicksilver Mendelssohnian” here, and miss some of the tension. All in all, the Lindsays give by far the most satisfying account all round.

The second quartet is an admirable but surely a lesser work than the first. There many passages are dominated by a sense of the tragic and melancholic and the Zemlinksy Quartet’s rich, dark, ductile tone is particularly well suited to this music; it serves well the feeling of forced jollity and the quartet is soulfully played, although I still prefer the Lindsays’ alternately more affectionate then more animated way with the contrasting sections. In the finale, the Zemlinsky’s trick of slowing down markedly before embarking on new section of this short movement – as indicated by no fewer than five tempo markings in under three minutes – is again in evidence and I would like to hear a more sustained momentum.

The helpful notes are by second violinist Petr Holman who also made the transcription of the Dance of Comedians, which makes a cheerful and rousing encore; I like the way the players amusingly interject “Oh!” just before the sparkling coda.

If you esteem the cosy warmth and more unhurried demeanour of the playing here, you will value this more than I, but it does not displace my favourites, who play with more fire.

Ralph Moore

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