Joseph Haydn
String Quartets
Opus 64 No 5 in D Major, Lark
Opus 76 No 2 in D Minor, Fifths
Opus 77 No 1 in G Major, Lobkowitz

The Jerusalem Quartet

Review By Phil Gold
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  They are building a home for the Jerusalem Quartet at the Jerusalem Music Center (www.jmc.co.il/aboutus.html), situated in the heart of one of Jerusalem's most picturesque neighborhoods. The Center was established in 1973 at the initiative of the late Isaac Stern to provide a meeting place between visiting masters from abroad and talented Israeli musicians, with an emphasis on youth. Since giving its first performance there, the Jerusalem Quartet calls the Center "home" and aims to become its leading musical enterprise.

The maturity of approach and the tightness of ensemble belie the relative youth of these musicians, still in their twenties, who have been together now for eleven years. Violinists Alexander Pavlovsky and Sergei Bresler and cellist Kyril Zlotnikov are immigrants from Russia, while the violist Amichai Grosz is a native Israeli. They have participated in master classes with Isaac Stern and members of the Amadeus String Quartet. Their sound is brilliant and warm, with the strong projection and absolute security of tone that remind me of the great Russian chamber group the Moscow Virtuosi.

The Jerusalem Quartet has signed to record a series of discs for the prestigious Harmonia Mundi label, after earlier releases from the BBC and EMI featuring works by Beethoven, Haydn, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. This is my first exposure to this group and I'm sure it will not be the last, for this is a disc to make you sit up and take notice. Something special is happening here, and it is apparent from the very first notes. Their confident, intelligent playing points to a very successful future.

Haydn has often been relegated to second-class status behind the musical giants Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. In the area of string quartets Haydn takes a back seat to no one. Haydn encompasses an enormous variety of invention and such an ability to learn from others, Mozart in particular, that his music never fails to impress. He often achieves sublime results but without the sense of struggle evident in Beethoven's late quartets.

On this CD we hear three works selected from three separate sets of quartets written late in life. Tempos are slightly faster than usual, but there is no sense of strain, not even in the breakneck speed of the vivace finale of the Lark quartet. These players are clearly extremely skilled musicians who might also have pursued careers as soloists.

Of these three quartets the first, the Lark (1790), comes off best. There is no special magic to the approach. The music is simply played for all it is worth, with gusto and refinement, and it sweeps away all doubts. Pavlovsky's violin sings strong and sweet and the other three musicians provide full support with great refinement of tone, particularly from the cello. Not only is each phrase well judged, but there is also a broad sweep to each movement and the movements are well set into a coherent whole.

The Fifths quartet (1796) is a much more complex work, with its most unusual and remorseless third movement in particular (the Witches' Minuet) offering many possibilities for the performers. Here the relative youth and inexperience of the Jerusalem Quartet let them down, and they do not fully convey the score's depth of feeling. They play with passion and clarity, but there is too much deliberation and shaping of the phrases, while the Kodaly Quartet (Naxos 8550314), my favorite in this magnificent work, delve deeper with less apparent effort. Their less pointed approach allows the music to breathe more freely, and their less polished tone is more at home in this 'Hungarian' music.

The third quartet on this disc is Opus 77 No 1, in G Major, the Lobkowitz (1799). This is one of only two quartets published in this series (six were planned), and it was written around the time Haydn's pupil Beethoven was writing his set of six Opus 18 quartets. Perhaps this was a factor in Haydn's decision not to complete the series. The most striking feature of this work is the magnificent second movement adagio. This is taken at a steady pace, with the Jerusalem Quartet allowing the music to speak for itself. The wonderful sonorities make the development especially enjoyable. The playing throughout is well paced and balanced, and the problems noted in the Fifths quartet do not resurface here. This is a fine performance of a remarkably original work from a man with so many quartets already under his belt.

The sound of this disc--recorded in Haarlem, Holland in April 2003 under the direction of Martin Sauer and mastered by Tobias Lehmann in the Teldex Studio in Berlin -- is a constant delight. So often we hear loss of detail or strident tone mar otherwise wonderful performances. Here we have warmth, intimacy, power and cohesion, combined with a totally black sonic background that adds to the realism. I have many chamber music recordings and have attended numerous live performances, but I have yet to hear a more beautiful sound from a string quartet. For this the musicians and all involved in the recording and mastering should take justifiable pride.

The Kodaly Quartet has recorded all the Haydn quartets on the budget Naxos label, and their idiomatic and understated approach remains my favorite of all the complete cycles. Their sound is serviceable but does not approach the level of achievement on this disc. For an alternative approach, consider the Quatuor Mosaïques (Astrée E8799). That ensemble's astringent tone on period instruments will not suit all systems and tastes, but their immaculate and forceful playing and interpretation are second to none.

If you are looking for a modern instrument recording of these works with fine sound, I can heartily recommend this disc, and I'm looking forward to hearing them in the flesh. Maybe I should check out the Jerusalem Music Center pronto.

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