CARL CZERNY – String Quartet in E Minor

Austrian Late Classical composer Carl Czerny [1791-1857] is reputed to have written over twenty string quartets. I believe many of them were never published; and to my knowledge, only six have been recorded. I’m also not sure as to when this quartet was composed, along with many in the music academic fraternity. Czerny is a bit of a mystery man. The work is in four movements and is set firmly in a Classical style.

The first movement, marked allegro, opens with its key of E minor obvious. It has a surging quality as the ensemble moves forward. A prominent violin espouses an appealing melody, before an interlude of a series of harmonised melodic lines. The violin returns with variations and the ensemble ebbs and flows with it. A return of the opening solidifies the mood. Now strong phrases bring some vigour to the piece. However, the overriding sense is of the violin melodies, which are attractive. I hear a hint of the feeling of Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartets, Opus 59 at work here. The music continues but now the intensity of the minor key is gone. Another strong passage leads to an underlying feeling of tension, and the minor tonality is reinvoked, if only briefly. Peaceful moods alternate with vigorous passages, and the minor tonality comes and goes. There is an almost cadenza-like feeling, with the solo violin leading the way. The end is a series of thrusts, followed by a strong chord.

The andante second movement begins with a slow, ascending minor melody; very satisfying. The cello steps out for a solo statement as the violins fill in the gaps in the cello’s melodic phrases. A stately mood ensues with a very gentle violin skating across the music. In the background, the viola fashions a mild rhythmic motif, which supports the violin. Now the viola steps out, crafting a melody over shimmering violins. A pizzicato appears, but the ensemble push on with their melodic development, and intensity. A beautiful cello melody is once again to the fore, before it moves into quivering mode, then walking. All the while, a stately ensemble is preparing the way for a conclusion, which comes quietly.

The next movement is marked vivace, and a violin leads the ensemble, slowly increasing the intensity. There is much happening here with a pulsating sound. Very brief pauses are utilised to delineate vigorous sections. Now a slow, Mozart-like sound develops, with subtle violin and measured accompaniment. The intensity eventually returns with an energy that continues to the end.

The finale commences at a moderate tempo, with the violins leading a path through various chord changes. This is a very positive phase. There is also a relief occasionally where the tempo drops back. Mostly however, the ensemble push on in a robust manner. The chord changes reappear and are negotiated with ease by the violins. One last robust passage leads to a short, quiet statement before the mood becomes overwhelming and concludes in a striking manner.

Sometimes this work sounds a little like the Romantic period, but at other times, pure Classicism reigns. It is a fine piece.

The review 2-CD set, titled Czerny : String Quartets, performed by the Sheridan Ensemble is available on Amazon UK and US. There is another, 3-CD set Czerny : Rediscovered Genius performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet which contains some string quartets, including the E minor and some other material, with all of the music recorded live. It’s very pricey. Strangely, I didn’t notice any single CDs containing the work, but there may be some.

The Sheridan Ensemble CD is on Spotify and YouTube. There are two versions on earsense.

Listenability: A nice blend of the Major and the Minor make this work very enjoyable.