Peteris Vasks: String Quartet No. 4

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks has said "There has been so much bloodshed and destruction, and yet love's power and idealism have helped to keep the world in balance. I wanted to speak of these things in my new quartet; not from the sidelines, but with direct emotion and sensitivity," and, indeed, from the folksy melodies through to chaos and back again which he creates in this, his fourth quartet, we are taken through a myriad of feelings. His music is always intense and he knows how to build to a climax, relax, and return the listener to a heightened awareness of drama, and so forth. His meditative moments will remind listeners of Arvo Pärt; his disruptive passages bring Shostakovitch to mind. But the textures, so beautifully brought out by the great Kronos Quartet, are uniquely Vasks' and when, at the work's conclusion, after a return to the folk melody of the first movement, the strings fly up to their highest registers and simply disappear into the ethos, the effect is magical and, somehow, comforting. It's similar to the way he ends his violin concerto and it's just as effective. A fascinating release. --Robert Levine

Album Description
Full title - Peteris Vasks - String Quartet No. 4. Vasks' Fourth String Quartet, composed of five movements, was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet and was premiered in 2000 at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris. A somber reflection on the passing century, it incorporates Latvian folk songs, its movements variously meditative, strident, restless, subdued. Slipcase. Nonesuch. 2003.

Peteris Vasks: String Quartet No. 4, Music, Peteris Vasks, Kronos Quartet, Chamber, Chamber Music, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music

Average customer rating:

A Very Good, Albeit Unorignal, Quartet

Vasks voices compassion at the end of a brutal century

Just beautiful

Great Work

Eventually combine the two, please

Peteris Vasks: String Quartet No. 4

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Kronos Quartet | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Music of Peteris Vasks

Alban Berg: Lyric Suite

Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 2; Violin Concerto "Distant Light"

Peteris Vasks: Symphony No. 3; Cello Concerto [Hybrid SACD]

Mugam Sayagi: Music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh

ASIN: B0000AN4FI
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Tracks:

I. Elegy
II. Toccata I
III. Chorale
IV. Toccata II
V. Meditation

Amazon.com

The contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks has said "There has been so much bloodshed and destruction, and yet love's power and idealism have helped to keep the world in balance. I wanted to speak of these things in my new quartet; not from the sidelines, but with direct emotion and sensitivity," and, indeed, from the folksy melodies through to chaos and back again which he creates in this, his fourth quartet, we are taken through a myriad of feelings. His music is always intense and he knows how to build to a climax, relax, and return the listener to a heightened awareness of drama, and so forth. His meditative moments will remind listeners of Arvo Pärt; his disruptive passages bring Shostakovitch to mind. But the textures, so beautifully brought out by the great Kronos Quartet, are uniquely Vasks' and when, at the work's conclusion, after a return to the folk melody of the first movement, the strings fly up to their highest registers and simply disappear into the ethos, the effect is magical and, somehow, comforting. It's similar to the way he ends his violin concerto and it's just as effective. A fascinating release. --Robert Levine

Album Description

Full title - Peteris Vasks - String Quartet No. 4. Vasks' Fourth String Quartet, composed of five movements, was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet and was premiered in 2000 at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris. A somber reflection on the passing century, it incorporates Latvian folk songs, its movements variously meditative, strident, restless, subdued. Slipcase. Nonesuch. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Good, Albeit Unorignal, Quartet.......2005-12-05

Vasks' Fourth String Quartet is much like Shostakovich's Eight String Quartet, except not. Whereas Shostakovich's quartet is overwhelming, brooding, and relentless, Vasks' work is far more reserved. Tension is just beneath the surface.

Shostakovich's opus ends in defeat. The finale is an example of just how haunting music can be. The finale to Vasks' Fourth Quartet is again another example of how haunting music can be- but this time, in another way. The pensive finale, with its violin solo, reflects upon all the injustice wrought last century.

Vasks voices compassion at the end of a brutal century.......2004-11-01

The Kronos Quartet continues its devotion to contemporary works by Eastern European composers with this release. Lyrical and elegiac, the 4th String Quartet by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks is a meditation on the brutality and suffering of the 20th century. Commissioned for Kronos, it was first performed in May of 2000.

It is a five-movement work of about 30 minutes, and while not highly original, it has excellent models. Vasks declares that the second and fourth movements, Toccata I and Toccata II, are "in a spirit close to that of Shostakovich's style" -- "aggressive, and at times, ironic." This is a notable departure for Vasks, who is not known for anything dissonant or angry. These movements remind me specifically of Shostakovich's famous 8th Quartet, a work full of rage and sorrow dedicated to "the victims of war and fascism," and thought by many to be an indictment of Stalin as well (recorded by Kronos on BLACK ANGELS -- see my review). The first, third and fifth movements (Elegy, Chorale, and Meditation) are in the style that Vasks is known for, influenced by the "holy minimalism" of Part and Gorecki, with Latvian folksong motifs and romantic gestures that some might find to be overly ripe. He utilizes glissandos, seemingly representing movements up and down between the Earth to Heaven, which echo the powerful works of Sofia Gubaidulina. And Vasks draws on yet another influence -- the climax of the central Chorale parallels the well-known climax of Barber's "Adagio." The closing Meditation, the longest movement at 11:35, features a long, lovely solo for David Harrington's violin. This passage beautifully expresses the feeling of COMPASSION.

Vasks says of his 4th Quartet, "[t]here has been so much bloodshed and destruction, and yet love's power and idealism have helped keep the world in balance." Utilizing the recognizable works by Barber and Shostakovich, both emotionally direct and powerful works, couldn't make more sense. Vasks may not be the most original of contemporary composers, but he knows how to work with existing materials and create music that is accessible and moving.

Just beautiful.......2004-03-28

What is greater than purely beautiful, inspired music? Not much. Some think it would be better to combine this piece with the Berg Lyric Suite, putting them on the same CD. That would be better for your wallet, but I don't think it would serve the music as well as separate discs. They are two separate great pieces of music. They are completely different styles. They do not belong on the same CD. Each one is valuable and important on its own and needs no 'filler' to make the CDs worth the money.

Great Work.......2004-03-12

I agree with the comments that the release of this CD and the Berg CD separately is very irritating, however I would not want that to take away from the fact that this is a truly great piece of music and a beautiful recording. While it may be somewhat irritating to have to buy a CD with half an hour of music on it, if you are going to do that, I would highly recommend this one.

Eventually combine the two, please.......2004-02-10

Combining Vasks' Fourth String Quartet with Berg's Lyric Suite (the latter features an underused, unfocused Dawn Upshaw) would make a worthy, if not an interesting addition to anyone's contemporary music library. Currently, these pieces are available only as separate releases--by themselves, no filler--which leads one to surmise a regrettable marketing/creative miscalculation on the part of the record company or the musicians. Otherwise, the Kronos quartet deliver powerfully convincing performances of each, and one only hopes these recordings would be preserved in a future 1-CD release. Both were nominated for a Grammy this year so I got them both and took the (financial) bullet for them.