# D'indy - String Quartet 1 op.35 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Vincent d’Indy composed his 1st String Quartet No.1 in 1890 and it was premiered to huge acclaim from the public, critics and his fellow composers (Chausson considered it a masterpiece and told D’Indy, "all France honors you.") . That's some beginning to your quartet writing career (although I don't share his enthusiasm)! 
The 1st movement begins slowly (as do all 4 movements) as the violin takes charge, followed by some neat chordal passages. As we get into the 'moderement' section the cello lays down a quicker tempo with both violins. After the key changes there's a gentler section then some firm melodies before the cello kicks in again setting a much faster tempo before it all concludes on a chord.
The 2nd movement, See Lento, is the emotional heart of the quartet, with the violin softly playing until the viola emerges and sets the tempo. The music is intensely calming here. The violins play a gentle but tenser melody and after a shift in volume the cello takes over. Eventually the violins dominate again before the melody is passed back to the cello ready for a gentle ending. This is a quite lovely movement. 
The fine 3rd movement, Assez vite, starts with a moderate pace before a dancing rhythm is adopted by the viola then the violins take over with the main theme. After a slower trio the jaunty pace is continued at a brisker pace by the viola and especially the cello with accents played by swirling violins until the earlier theme returns bringing things to a soft ending. Such an inventive movement!
The finale opens slowly with a yearning violin and the rest of the instruments create a deeply emotional atmosphere until the mood is lifted and the music starts to dance with the help of some pizzicato and double-stops that lighten the atmosphere (Assez vif et joyeuse). Its a lovely vibrant movement with excellent dynamics and many changes of tempo. I like how gradually we are reminded of the first movement as the cello becomes the star of the show before it all comes to a brisk ending. Its a fairly lengthy quartet (around 40 minutes) and meanders a little too much for me (especially in the 1st movement) but it is certainly an inventive work in which I am often reminded of Beethoven, Mahler's 1st symphony (for some reason) and Franck. One obvious influence is Wagner and D'Indy quotes the Bell motif from the first act of Parsifal. What is also quite striking is its non-reliance on melody. 
There's only a few recordings that I know of so I'll discuss all of them below.

The *Kodaly Quartet *recorded their performances of the first two D'indy quartets back in the late 80s, on Marco Polo. Their recording of the 1st quartet is recommendable but I'm not sure they fully capture the mystery or 'je ne sais quoi' of D'Indy's soundworld. It's all decent but the two other recordings have more going for them. The *Joachim Quartet *recorded all 3 of D'Indy's quartets in a pretty-hard-to-get-hold-of-these-days set that seemed to hang around about for around 25 seconds at the turn of the century. Their 1st is a fine effort with some lovely, expressive playing. My only caveat is that the recording is pretty reverberant. This doesn't matter too much in quieter passages but tends to slightly cloud the quicker moments. However, this is a slight grumble. The *Chilingirian Quartet*, on Helios, are more to my particular taste here and are given really nice sound. Their understanding of the needs of this piece is second to none and this is a more searching and slightly better realised account than the Joachim, for me. It's also coupled with a fine recording of the Chausson quartet. Whether you choose either of the above you are unlikely to be too disappointed. I'd love to hear the Quatuor Hermes play this particular quartet. It's right up their street (hint, hint).


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## PeterKC (Dec 30, 2016)

Very nice analysis and review. Along with Ibert, a brilliant and underplayed genius.


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