Search - Dvorak, Hagen Quartett, Kodaly :: Dvorak: String Quartets Op. 96; Kodaly: Quartett No. 2 [Germany]

A Perfect Quartet Recital

M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 09/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You can get a pretty good indication of how a performance of Dvorak's "American" Quartet is going to go as soon as the viola enters with the trenchant first melody. If the entry is limp, that doesn't bode well. Here it is as crisply defined by Veronika Hagen as that alto-register instrument can make a melody sound. Of course, my analysis is a bit simplistic, but the point is this is a piece of music in which the middle and lower voices are just as important as higher. This is not always the case, even in supreme masters of the string quartet medium, but it certainly is true of Dvorak, who crafts the viola and cello parts with vast care. From the first entry by the viola to the bouncing figure in the viola and cello that launches the last movement, this is music requiring top-to-bottom refinement. The Hagen Quartet shines, giving the near-tragic middle movement a weight that is almost heartbreaking and then turning on a dime to provide a wonderfully sprightly scherzo and finale. This has to be one of the best "American" Quartets available.



But if that isn't enough to recommend the CD, the Hagen turns in an immaculate performance of the second of Kodaly's two youthful string quartets. Again, it's gratifying to hear the warmth, richness, and power these players supply across the sound spectrum.



The charming melodies of Dvorak's Cypresses give the Hagen a chance to unwind and offer up subtlety of expression and sheer beauty of tone. A perfect string quartet recital.



The recording from the Salzburg Mozarteum matches the performances perfectly: it's intimate yet airy, clean and very truthful.

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Surely the finest performance of Dvorak's quartet

Avram | Someone, Somewhere, in Summertime | 04/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are many good performances of that famous Dvorak's "American quartet" ( Quartetto Italiano, Quator Talich, Alban Berg Quartet... to name just a few). But this one, performed by young Hagen Quartet is surely the finest ! Deeply felt and marvelously played. My honest and highest recommendation.
Speaking about Hagen Quartet, listen to their Schubert and Beethoven, too. You shall hear some astonishing performances, as well."