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Still, Dvorak, Barber, Gershwin / Serafin String Quartet
QUARTET AMERICAN STYLE: POSTCARDS FROM THE AMERICAN MUSICAL PAST ā¢ Serafin Str Qrt ā¢ CENTAUR 3050 (65:52)
STILL Danzas de Panama. DVO?ĆK String Quartet No. 12 in F, op. 96, āAmericanā.BARBER String Quartet in b, op. 11. GERSHWIN Lullaby
In the informative notes that accompany this disc, writer RenĆ©e Silberman asks: āWhat is āAmerican musicāāa school of American composition? Musical institutions? High art or folk art? Traditions of the Native Americans, of Blacks, of immigrants and visitors?ā As Silberman suggests, it is all but impossible to explain what makes music āAmerican.ā Like the striking diversity that makes up our peopleās DNA, American music is not readily susceptible to description or categorization, let alone definition. It is remarkable, therefore, that all-American music programs bode so well in the concert hall or on record, as evidenced by the album for consideration here, which I believe marks the debut of the Serafin Quartet, a string ensemble based in Wilmington, Delaware.
The album begins and ends on a lighter note, with William Grant Stillās Danzas de Panama and George Gershwinās well-known Lullaby. In the former work, a delightful suite inspired by Stillās perennial fascination with the music of African slaves and Caribbean people, the Serafins provide idiomatic and rhythmically engaging performances. In the Gershwin work, the ensembleās relatively quick pace prevents the premature onset of slumber and makes the music sound less repetitiveĀāand in truth more interestingāthan it is. In Dvo?Ć”kās āAmericanā Quartet, the Serafins play with impressive accuracy and drive, and the silvery tone of the violin of the ensembleās leaderāa Sanctus Serafināis particularly delightful. If, at the end of the day, I still gravitate towards the Panocha Quartetās more nuanced interpretation, the Serafinās comparatively clear-eyed approach is undeniably valid. I have no reservations whatsoever about the ensembleās performance of the Barber String Quartet. The Serafins are less driven than the Emerson Quartet, and their more flexible tempo allows the Brahmsian pathos of this work to shine through. Violinist Timothy Schwartzās and cellist Lawrence Stombergās contributions in the Molto Adagioāmost often heard in the arrangement known as the Adagio for Stringsādeserve special note. (In the interest of full disclosure, I note that since this recording was made in 2009, Schwartz has left the ensemble.)
The engineering is excellent. In sum, this is a memorable disc that is guaranteed to provide much enjoyment to chamber music enthusiasts.
FANFARE: Radu A. Lelutiu
QUARTET AMERICAN STYLE: POSTCARDS FROM THE AMERICAN MUSICAL PAST ā¢ Serafin Str Qrt ā¢ CENTAUR 3050 (65:52)
STILL Danzas de Panama. DVO?ĆK String Quartet No. 12 in F, op. 96, āAmericanā.BARBER String Quartet in b, op. 11. GERSHWIN Lullaby
In the informative notes that accompany this disc, writer RenĆ©e Silberman asks: āWhat is āAmerican musicāāa school of American composition? Musical institutions? High art or folk art? Traditions of the Native Americans, of Blacks, of immigrants and visitors?ā As Silberman suggests, it is all but impossible to explain what makes music āAmerican.ā Like the striking diversity that makes up our peopleās DNA, American music is not readily susceptible to description or categorization, let alone definition. It is remarkable, therefore, that all-American music programs bode so well in the concert hall or on record, as evidenced by the album for consideration here, which I believe marks the debut of the Serafin Quartet, a string ensemble based in Wilmington, Delaware.
The album begins and ends on a lighter note, with William Grant Stillās Danzas de Panama and George Gershwinās well-known Lullaby. In the former work, a delightful suite inspired by Stillās perennial fascination with the music of African slaves and Caribbean people, the Serafins provide idiomatic and rhythmically engaging performances. In the Gershwin work, the ensembleās relatively quick pace prevents the premature onset of slumber and makes the music sound less repetitiveĀāand in truth more interestingāthan it is. In Dvo?Ć”kās āAmericanā Quartet, the Serafins play with impressive accuracy and drive, and the silvery tone of the violin of the ensembleās leaderāa Sanctus Serafināis particularly delightful. If, at the end of the day, I still gravitate towards the Panocha Quartetās more nuanced interpretation, the Serafinās comparatively clear-eyed approach is undeniably valid. I have no reservations whatsoever about the ensembleās performance of the Barber String Quartet. The Serafins are less driven than the Emerson Quartet, and their more flexible tempo allows the Brahmsian pathos of this work to shine through. Violinist Timothy Schwartzās and cellist Lawrence Stombergās contributions in the Molto Adagioāmost often heard in the arrangement known as the Adagio for Stringsādeserve special note. (In the interest of full disclosure, I note that since this recording was made in 2009, Schwartz has left the ensemble.)
The engineering is excellent. In sum, this is a memorable disc that is guaranteed to provide much enjoyment to chamber music enthusiasts.
FANFARE: Radu A. Lelutiu
$18.99
Still, Dvorak, Barber, Gershwin / Serafin String Quartetā
$18.99
Description
QUARTET AMERICAN STYLE: POSTCARDS FROM THE AMERICAN MUSICAL PAST ā¢ Serafin Str Qrt ā¢ CENTAUR 3050 (65:52)
STILL Danzas de Panama. DVO?ĆK String Quartet No. 12 in F, op. 96, āAmericanā.BARBER String Quartet in b, op. 11. GERSHWIN Lullaby
In the informative notes that accompany this disc, writer RenĆ©e Silberman asks: āWhat is āAmerican musicāāa school of American composition? Musical institutions? High art or folk art? Traditions of the Native Americans, of Blacks, of immigrants and visitors?ā As Silberman suggests, it is all but impossible to explain what makes music āAmerican.ā Like the striking diversity that makes up our peopleās DNA, American music is not readily susceptible to description or categorization, let alone definition. It is remarkable, therefore, that all-American music programs bode so well in the concert hall or on record, as evidenced by the album for consideration here, which I believe marks the debut of the Serafin Quartet, a string ensemble based in Wilmington, Delaware.
The album begins and ends on a lighter note, with William Grant Stillās Danzas de Panama and George Gershwinās well-known Lullaby. In the former work, a delightful suite inspired by Stillās perennial fascination with the music of African slaves and Caribbean people, the Serafins provide idiomatic and rhythmically engaging performances. In the Gershwin work, the ensembleās relatively quick pace prevents the premature onset of slumber and makes the music sound less repetitiveĀāand in truth more interestingāthan it is. In Dvo?Ć”kās āAmericanā Quartet, the Serafins play with impressive accuracy and drive, and the silvery tone of the violin of the ensembleās leaderāa Sanctus Serafināis particularly delightful. If, at the end of the day, I still gravitate towards the Panocha Quartetās more nuanced interpretation, the Serafinās comparatively clear-eyed approach is undeniably valid. I have no reservations whatsoever about the ensembleās performance of the Barber String Quartet. The Serafins are less driven than the Emerson Quartet, and their more flexible tempo allows the Brahmsian pathos of this work to shine through. Violinist Timothy Schwartzās and cellist Lawrence Stombergās contributions in the Molto Adagioāmost often heard in the arrangement known as the Adagio for Stringsādeserve special note. (In the interest of full disclosure, I note that since this recording was made in 2009, Schwartz has left the ensemble.)
The engineering is excellent. In sum, this is a memorable disc that is guaranteed to provide much enjoyment to chamber music enthusiasts.
FANFARE: Radu A. Lelutiu
