Janáček & Haas: String Quartets

Album review

This premiere recording by the Pavel Haas Quartet has quite a bit going for it. For starters, the programming is intelligent -- something that's always appreciated. Here are two string quartets written by teacher (Janácek) and student (Haas); in fact, both works were given their premiere by the same ensemble (the Moravian Quartet). The liner notes do a nice job of pointing out these and other connections as well as describing the programmatic content of the two works. The ensemble is filled with youthful energy and passion, which is reflected in the music. For the Janácek, however, the performance is not entirely convincing. There are instances in the first and third movements where the repetitive nature of the inner voices seems to make the music stagnate. The first violin occasionally crosses the line between aggressive playing and attacking her instrument in second movement. Intonation is not always as precise as it could be. Another release of this piece by the Pacifica Quartet offers a more enjoyable performance. In the Haas Second Quartet, the quartet offers what to memory is the most successful rendition of this work. The performance here is much more evocative of the program that the composer had laid out. The decision to use the percussion in the fourth movement is somewhat questionable. There may be good reason why the Moravian Quartet chose to drop this optional part from its performances following the premiere.
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