# Holmboe - String Quartet 15 op.135 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

From sleeve notes..
'In the masterly and very concise String Quartet No. 15 the motif in the first movement is not just a melody, but a core with countless possibilities. The motif can be unfurled, change character and function, step into the foreground or the background, and so on. To counter the 'seagull's cry', Holmboe places a running figure in semiquavers, which towards the end widens out in quavers. In that form, it becomes the starting point for the next movement, a short *scherzo, which is played with mutes. At the peak of the movement, the quaver figure becomes an accentuation of the crotchets, before the movement falls to pieces. The third movement - rather unexpectedly - is a slow funeral procession. It opens with lamentations in the primo violin and the cello before all four voices gather in a subdued little chorale and thereafter help one another to calm things down. The instruments remain muted in the fourth movement, which begins slowly with echoes of themes from the third movement. The entire work is thus interconnected from movement to movement. Thereafter the mutes are removed, and a quick finale tempo gets underway. In the movement's coda, the 'seagull's cry' returns for a final remark before the free tonal sequence lands on a many-coloured chord above the keynote C. An ambiguous ending that acts as an opening to even more new works.'

Only 2 recordings of this one.

*Highly recommended *

*Kontra* - the Kontra' s fuller-bodied approach creates a more mysterious and haunting atmosphere in slower moments and this is one of the better recordings of this quartet (sometimes their performances can be marred by an excessively bright or over-reverberant soundstage - see their Langgaard / Nielsen recordings). However, this is a fine performance and one which I really enjoyed.

*Top pick*

*Nightingale* - leaner, slightly more dynamic and with sharper attacks I have a slight preference for the crisper sonorities of the Nightingale's playing. In the Allegro and scherzo theres a sharper, snappier and fresher approach and for me that works a little better. However, there's very little between these recordings and I could understand how some others may prefer the Kontra approach. The more angular Nightingale recording just works a little better for me. Both these recordings are high quality. Why not buy both?


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