# Beach, Amy - String Quartet in One Movement op.89 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Beach's String Quartet (in One Movement) was started, in America, in 1921 and completed in the winter of 1929, in Rome. It's inspired by three Inuit tunes Beach used as themes, was performed a number of times during her lifetime and critics praised it highly, considering it a work of "unusual beauty" (New York Times). 

With its slow, gently dissonant intro the beginning is mysterious and moody before we hear the first of the three Inuit melodies, introduced by the viola. Soon the other instruments join in and this is followed by the lovely 2nd Inuit theme and then a brief return to the first theme. The quirkier 3rd theme is an Allegro molto which is developed continuously with an interesting fugato section. The whole piece is interspersed with double-stop chords before, eventually, the dissonances are finally resolved. It's a fine work in a late romantic style and bears repeated listening well. 

Only a handful of recordings but after reacquainting myself with nearly all the recordings I still didn't get to hear the Crescent Quartet's 1983 performance but of the others the *Archaeus Quartet *is a decent recording (earthy sound) but the ensemble are a bit rough around the edges in places. Better is the *Quatuor Sine Qua Non* (a recording I own) who have a lovely clean sound but perhaps are a little understated or the *Ambache Ensemble *here who offer a well-engineered, well performed and highly recommendable disc, too. 

However, the the *Lark Quartet *get my top recommendation as I feel that they have the full measure of Beach's soundworld. They play the brooding opening especially skilfully and in the Inuit melodies their raspier, folksier sound, technical acumen and warmth of ensemble really impress, deeply. This is a highly engaging reading and even though it is the broadest account it's still my favourite of those reviewed.


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