Dvorák's American String Quartet

Review of the St. Petersburg String Quartet's Most Recent Album

Feb 17, 2007

A string quartet offers warmth and intimacy and the St. Petersburg String Quartet achieves just that atmosphere in their latest album.

Review: The latest in an impressive line of ensemble performances, the St. Petersburg String Quartet's album Dvorák: American String Quartet-Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 presents two works by composers who spanned the 19th century Romantic era.

String quartets have the sonorous advantage over the full symphony orchestra: because of the smaller ensemble size, each instrument has the chance to be fully heard in all of its own sweet resonance. The sound from a smaller ensemble is intimate: after all, a string quartet could easily fit into a bedroom, whereas an orchestra requires a more public room, preferably one the size of a theatre. The St. Petersburg String Quartet's warm tone masterfully projects that intimacy and romance while maintaining precise technical clarity.

In contrast to Romantic contemporaries who sought to stretch musical forms for the sake of expression, Felix Mendelssohn remained fairly true to Classical organizations. He was also interested in older periods of music: if not for Mendelssohn's revival of J. S. Bach's music, the Baroque composer's works might still lie forgotten today. The String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 is arranged in the four movements of the Classical symphony. The first movement is a two-part Adagio-Allegro Vivace, harkening back to the Baroque French Overture. The second movement is the typical slow Adagio non lento, an introspective and plaintive round of lyrical melodies. The third movement, Intermezzo-Allegretto, suggests a courtly minuet followed by a peasant gigue, although, since the third movement is in 4/4, it is not in the correct time signature for either dance. The final movement is the Presto finale, fast and tragic.

Facing the turn of the century, Antonín Dvorák was a member of the nationalist movement in music, the attempt to create a unified identity through sound. The "American" String Quartet, No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 came out of the Czech composer's time in the United States as music director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. In an attempt to develop an American musical idiom that was distinct from the European models, Dvorák drew from African-American spirituals and Native American music for inspiration. Fascinatingly enough, the two pieces for which Dvorák is most remembered were both written during Dvorák's three year stint in the States: this quartet and the famous New World Symphony reflect the Americana that Dvorák was developing from the folk music of America.

Where to Buy It: The album can be purchased on iTunes or at Marquis Classics.

The copyright of the article Dvorák's American String Quartet in Classical Music is owned by Sarah Canice Funke. Permission to republish Dvorák's American String Quartet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.