Rosamunde Quartett - Webern, Shostakovich, Burian (1997)

Tracklist

01. Webern: Langsamer Satz fur Streichquartett: Langsam, mit bewegtem Ausdruck
02. Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110 - 1. Largo
03. Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110 - 2. Allegro molto
04. Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110 - 3. Allegretto
05. Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110 - 4. Largo
06. Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110 - 5. Largo
07. Burian: String Quartet No. 4, Op.95 - Volne a razne
08. Burian: String Quartet No. 4, Op.95 - Rychle s citem
09. Burian: String Quartet No. 4, Op.95 - Rytmicky divoke tri
10. Burian: String Quartet No. 4, Op.95 - Divoce s dramatickou silou

Performers:
Rosamunde Quartett
Andreas Reiner - violin
Simon Fordham - violin
Helmut Nicolai - viola
Anja Lechner - cello
Anton Webern - composer
Dmitri Shostakovich - composer
Emil Frantisek Burian - composer

At first glance, one might ask what accounts for bringing these disparate works together. Andreas Reiner, the first violinist of the Rosamunde Quartet, explains that "all three pieces are monothematically structured and end in dissolution, like the extinguishing of a candle."
At the top is a work by Anton von Webern, a member of the so-called Second Viennese School of serial, twelve-tone music. 'Langsamer Satz' from 1905 is his final tonal composition. Extravagantly melodious, the work receives a ravishing performance here. Dmitri Shostakovich's Eighth Quartet is considered by many to be his 'War Requiem.' The composer virtually said as much by dedicating the work to "the victims of fascism and war." Certainly the violence embodied in the scherzo captures the brutal essence of wartime.
The highlight of this recording is the CD debut of the Fourth Quartet from the Czech composer Emil Frantisek Burian. While not as mournful, this 1947 quartet is similar in feel to the Shostakovich (but with a freer tonality) and has just a dash of the Bohemian rhythms of Burian's homeland