Weinberg String Quartets Nos. 3, 9, and 14 (CD Review)

by Ryan Ross

String Quartet No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 14; Improvisation and Romance for String Quartet; String Quartet No. 9 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 80; String Quartet No. 14, Op. 122. Arcadia Quartet. Chandos CHAN 20328

 

I have long considered Mieczyslaw Weinberg to be a hit-and-miss composer. But I must say: the more of his music I get to know, the more the misses outpace the hits. Now, not everything I would call a “miss” is necessarily bad; some stuff is even mildly engaging while I listen to it. But little attains much memorability. Most releases in this Chandos string quartet series tell the tale in microcosm: an arresting movement here and there (or an entire work if you’re lucky) alongside vast stretches of miss. The Fifth Volume comes in a bit below this average: lots of okay (or worse) surrounding small islands of special.

We’ll start with what I consider to be the most compelling item: the Improvisation and Romance for String Quartet. David Fanning’s liner notes explain that this work is in a “comprehensible,” “anti-formalist” style favored by Soviet authorities during the Stalin era. I’ll be honest: I abhor the Soviet government’s censorship methods, but I like it when Weinberg composed in this style, to which his Third Symphony (an absolutely wonderful piece) also belongs. When his tendency toward doodling took a back seat to directness, he was at his best. And so it goes in this pair of miniatures. The Improvisation is the less memorable of the two but still pleasant and easy to follow. However, the Romance is the gem of the whole disc – sporting a beautifully wistful melody that shows what Weinberg could do when he felt like it.

 

Sometimes Weinberg successfully balanced being clever with being direct, as he did in the Fourth and Sixth Quartets. The Third Quartet of 1944 is very much in this vein, if somewhat less inspired. It begins with one of his signature “driving-rhythm” movements, this being one with clear thematic ideas and a satisfying formal trajectory. The second movement is about the same length, similarly well crafted, and full of feeling. The trouble here is that for all the sincerity of expression, there is not a truly memorable moment to take with you after the music stops playing. The third movement almost solves this problem with its mysterious opening theme, but the rest never lives up to that initial promise. And the theme itself kind of fizzles by the end. It’s all respectable, but you’re left wanting more.

With the Ninth Quartet of 1963 we get closer to Weinberg’s late style, of which I am mostly not a fan. But while this work still doesn’t descend quite to the dreariness of the last quartets, it’s hardly distinguished. We have another driving opening movement with quick repeated motives and decent drama. The delicate scherzo that follows is likewise a solid listening experience with some simple ideas that shine through the gloom. Next is a 10-minute Andante – a finely-wrought slow movement that I struggle to describe in further useful terms. A rather nondescript Allegro moderato closes things out. Truthfully, I am listening to the music as I write this paragraph because I have trouble remembering much when it’s not directly in my ears. It more or less holds the attention. But beyond that? There’s nothing here I’m champing at the bit to revisit soon.

I don’t actually have much to say about the Fourteenth Quartet that I haven’t already said about the Thirteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Quartets in other reviews here. Think second-rate late Shostakovich. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, dive right in. Anyone else who reads this should carefully consider how they want to spend its 25 or so minutes.

Maybe I’m complaining too much. To be sure, I’d gladly take every work on this disc (Fourteenth Quartet included) over anything by Weinberg’s younger contemporaries Schnittke and Gubaidulina. So I guess my definition of “miss” is highly variable after all. And my mild displeasure (as it turns out) has absolutely nothing to do with the excellent performances given here by the Arcadia Quartet. The liner notes make clear that its members really believe in this music. Well, I’m glad for them. If you’re going to perform and record something, you might as well do so with conviction. I’m just not sure that those of us who aren’t Weinberg-o-holics will be able to muster comparable enthusiasm.