Ravel - String Quartet [Carmina Quartet]
This is a Quartet that i've only recently come to really love, it's taken time with listening to this piece with different Quartets, mainly the Melos Quartet, of course it's very French, all of its ideas have that soundworld feel to it, it transports me to France.
The Carmina Quartet was formed in 1984, and they have recently celebrated their 25th anniversary together, they are real quality, and they do this Quartet justice.
I have come to love the first two movements, and i was especially moved by the second movement Assez Vif Et Bien Rythme, meaning lively with Rhythm, pizzicato strings start us off [0:00-0:15], and then the sweetness of the first violin comes in [0:16], this is such an endearing tune, the tenderest moment in this movement, the strings go back and forth between bowing and plucking, this is full of inventive ideas and is so stimulating to the ear, and it's a phenomenal feature of the whole movement, a new quieter sorrowful tune starts [1:51], and the first violin starts this tender wistful lament [2:38], and it turns nostalgic and haunting [3:28], the pizzicato effects gradually work their way back in, and the cello starts up the sole pizzicato in the bass [4:46], the viola then the violins join in, and we're back to the opening again, with some strong forte pizzicato [5:10], some nice bustling energy at the end [5:47-6:08], with one last forte pizzicato on the cello along with the violins a split second later [6:11-6:12], a tour de force of what you can do with a String Quartet, powerful and memorable.
Here's the Hagen Quartet playing this movement on YouTube.
