Thursday, June 22, 2023

DCLIX. MARTINŮ, Bohuslav: String Quartet #3

DCLIX. MARTINŮ, Bohuslav (1890-1959)

String Quartet #3 (1929)
1. Allegro (4:24)
2. Andante (4:40)
3. Vivo (3:19)
Martinů Quartet


First movement

  • Plucked cello chords
  • off beat col legno rhythm in viola
  • muted tremolo in second violin
  • main motif in first violin






















The energy never lets up, until resolving into this pacific finish:






















Second movement


The viola is out front for most of this thick-textured movement ...



































The cello takes over towards the end:



































Third movement

It is possible Martinů had heard either or both of Bartók's Third and Fourth Quartets -- both written just a few years prior -- but no matter; Martinů is his own man here.

The music flies by at an outrageous tempo, like some great big bird flying through a clear blue sky:


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