I’ve said it before, and I say it again: This is perfectionism of the highest order. Alina Ibragimova and her colleague musicians remind me of the Austrian ABQ (Alban Berg Quartet) playing the same Prussian Quartets (1990 EMI) with similar perfection. However, comparing them with these new readings by the Chiaroscuro Quartet I discovered why ABQ, apart from the enviable Wiener Klangstil (Viennese sound style) with which the Chiaroscuros cannot compete, never really touched me. With hindsight, I’d say that they played too well, thereby lacking in human presence.

That said, the Chiaroscuro Quartet is in a different league altogether. Playing with gut strings, a period bow, and with no or little vibrato, their approach makes for a pleasing sonority, on condition, though, that tonal precision is fully respected. The result is cleaner, warmer, and more intense.

Mozart’s final set may not have the same musical value as his Haydn Quartets and may not have the emotional character one usually associates with a final set, but Mozart does give all players an equal part and, for obvious reasons (dedicated to the King of Prussia, who was an amateur cellist), a clear cantabile role for the cello. This suits the Chiaroscuros particularly well. Previous recordings of the Quartet have met with universal praise and were lauded for a style that is unique. As I see it: Four individuals, each contributing with a personal input, to create a combined and united, colour palette that charms and seduces the listener.

One may regret that the sound is not at par with previous BIS recordings featuring the Chiaroscuro Quartet, like for instance Haydn: String Quartets Op. 20 1-3 - Chiaroscuro Quartet, engineered by Ingo Petry of Take5, who has done so many excellent recordings for BIS. At times I was disturbed by excessive dynamic contrast, but the violinist Alina Ibragimova, affirms that such is part of their musical commitment.

Be that as it may, in terms of interpretation the Chiaroscuro Quartet has little or no competition, and all three Prussian Quartets on one disc with an amazing 86 minutes of playing time, is not to be disregarded either.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2022 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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These exquisitely realized interpretations are performed with deep feeling and superb technique, and captured in full dynamic range. This SACD can rightly be called a demonstration-quality chamber music recording.

The Chiaroscuro Quartet’s superb SACDs of the Haydn Op. 20 string quartets were my first exposure to this talented ensemble. It was with some curiosity and not a little skepticism that I auditioned the opening bars of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 21 in D major, K.575. Mozart’s writing for string quartet has never affected me emotionally at the level of Haydn and Beethoven, yet the popularity of the “Prussian” Quartets demonstrates their wide and lasting appeal to musicians and audiences, and called for further investigation.

It had been suggested that the sound level of the album was unusually low, and on cursory listening, that seemed to be the case. An email to BIS prompted the production team to verify that the playback level of the recording as released on SACD, 24/96 download, and streaming platforms, was indeed technically correct. After reading the correspondence thread in which producer Andrew Keener, session/mixing engineer Oscar Torres, and mastering engineer Matthias Spitzbarth graciously responded to my query, I listened much more closely and mindfully to the entire album.

First violinist of the Chiaroscuro Quartet Alina Ibragimova recently spoke about her longtime practice of historically informed performance on this Strad podcast:

https://www.thestrad.com/podcast/the-strad-podcast-63-alina-ibragimova-on-historically-informed-performance/15581.article

Historically informed performance goes beyond playing without vibrato and using gut strings. There are numerous adjustments to the instrument and to the reinterpretation of familiar repertoire that string players have adopted to create distinctive and expressive performances. Ibragimova speaks about adapting her technique to the demands of a gut-strung instrument, allowing more space between notes due to the shorter duration of gut strings’ resonance compared to modern strings.

Cultivating spaciousness, and engaging with the sound of the instrument rather than imposing preconceived ideas of how a piece should sound, informs the Chiaroscuro’s performances of the Mozart quartets. As the works were composed for Friedrich Wilhelm II, a talented amateur cellist, the quartets afford cellist Claire Thirion ample room to play cantabile in richly languorous passages. Tempi are carefully considered, never rushed, which allows the space between notes to breathe.

The production team for the album went to great effort to realize the ensemble’s artistic intentions; in the warm acoustic of the Britten Studio, Snape Maltings, the group project a different sound from their earlier recording sessions in Sendesaal Bremen. The Chiaroscuro’s choice to play very softly in quiet passages (which led to my correspondence with BIS), was noted by The Strad’s reviewer David Threacher: “the almost other-worldly sotto voce marked at the opening of K575.”

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Threacher’s characterization. In that sotto voce passage, the listener is drawn into the timeless space of Mozart’s, and the ensemble’s, creative imagination.

Copyright © 2022 Mark Werlin and HRAudio.net

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