Camesina Quartet - Vanhal: 3 Late String Quartets (2012)

As recorded by Irish tenor and diarist Michael Kelly, the famous quartet that gathered in 1784 to perform their works in the private salon of a friend consisted of Joseph Haydn on 1st violin, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf on 2nd violin, Wolfgang Mozart on viola and Jan Vanhal on cello. We don't know what compositions were played that night, but it is likely that each participant contributed at least one quartet. While the first work included in this recording was written after that memorable evening, the other two could have been performed.

Born to a peasant family in Bohemia, Jan Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813) has the distinction of being the first composer of the Classical era to totally support himself by writing music. Prolific and adept at changing his musical output to meet the shifting marketplace, he published 51 symphonies, with another 81 left in manuscript. He also composed of some 100 quartets.

In the first string quartet, labeled `Hoffmeister No.2' and written in E Flat, the vigorous opening of the `Allegro con fuoco' immediately grabs the listener's attention. The powerful descending unison figure knits the 1st movement firmly together, reappearing after each developmental passage. A brief modulation into a minor tinged section dips into a more introspective mood before the returning to the cheeriness of the beginning. The intertwining support provided by the bass line is particularly fine.

A marvelous upward galloping motif characterizes the `Adagio' that follows. It too wanders into the melancholy of minor as the first violinist, Johannes Gebauer, drifts high into the upper register. Again featuring the soaring lead violin, a rollicking triple metered `Allegro' concludes the work. While this first quartet contains only 3 movements, the two selections from Vanhal's Op.33 have four.

Composed in F Major, the Op.33, No.3 quartet opens with an `Allegro moderato' and alternates voices with upward spiraling figures rising to a crescendo, before stopping in complete silence. Punctuated by a splendid cello solo and a demanding first violin part that nearly runs off the top end of the fingerboard, this 1st movement is followed by his version of a minuet, an `Arietta'. Graceful and lyrical, this triple metered dance shifts in and out of minor.

The booklet notes suggest that Vanhal may have titled these Op.33 quartets in tribute to Haydn, and the extreme difficulty in the 1st violin part may have been a friendly challenge to his quartet partner. At any rate, the 3rd movement `Adagio' includes an extensive use of the uppermost notes for the lead voice. Employing a large number of fermatas gives the work space and depth that allows the music to breathe.

Energetic fiddling characterizes the closing `Allegro con fuoco'. Especially notable is the viola as an echo to the 1st violin before the 4th movement arrives at a crisp conclusion.

Composed in A Major, the final quartet Op.33, No.2 opens with a triple metered `Allegro moderato', light and lilting. Extended pauses also dot this movement, which contains false endings that show Haydn's influence. The 2nd movement `Arietta' is precise and measured, delivered with an elegant grace before the following `Adagio sostenuto'. A flowing counter melody in the bass line underpins the lovely work by the 1st violin. Supplying a brief touch of melancholy, modulation in and out of minor occurs before the peaceful ending.

Urgent lower strings open the finale with a motif of repeated pairs of notes, first in hushed tones and then with more vigor. After a pithy dip into minor, frantic gypsy flavored fiddle bursts forth, initiated by the 1st violin and followed at a break neck pace by the cello. This wonderfully quirky conclusion may well be the high point of the disc.

Using period instruments and a tuning below standard concert pitch, the Camesina Quartet brings vitality and a devoted attention to detail to these world premieres, while the recording by MMB is bright and clear.

Showing wit and ingenuity, these late quartets by Vanhal sparkle. It is easy to imagine Mozart and Haydn playing them with the same joy exhibited on this disc.