Hungarian-Austrian mid twentieth century composer Iván Eröd [1936–2019] wrote three string quartets. His early music was supposedly influenced by Schoenberg and serialism. The three quartets show considerable development from first to last. The First Quartet, written between 1974-75, shows no Schoenberg-like traits, and is a conservative work, sometimes even sounding Medieval. It may be that the composer’s flirting with serial techniques had concluded by this date. The Second Quartet, from 1978 is significantly different from the only slightly earlier First, and is a marvellous work. I couldn’t find a date for the Third Quartet, which is very passionate. I am going to discuss the Second Quartet, which is in five movements.
The work opens with a short series of flourishes, which start powerfully but are soon transformed into some gentle glissandi. Now a violin states a phrase, which is repeated in different registers by the other instruments. This phrase is then revisited, and deconstructed in many ways, with lots of glissandi – it is quite animated. A violin plays over a constant cacophony from the ensemble, all based around the previous repeated phrase. Again, glissandi abound for a time and the music moves into a section of shrill violin over random ensemble mutterings. A solo violin takes up a new phrase and a rhythm is constant in the background. The violin is most expressive and dominates this section. A return of the opening flourish slips back into glissandi, before the earlier repeated phrase, played twice by all instruments, continues to an eccentric end.
The next, adagio movement has a lamenting violin gently drifting over a rhythmically ambivalent plucked cello. A second violin enters and the mood is a wonderful soundscape, as a gently dissonant passage unfolds – this is music to die for. The conclusion is mysterious.
The third movement features two violins engaged in a duet, to be joined by cello and violin musings. Distinctive, fast ascending and descending violin melodic lines are quite impetuous, leaving the cello and viola to their own devices. A rumbling solo cello is soon heard and a sense of a tempo is felt as the violins join in with further ascending and descending lines. All things considered, this is quite a powerful movement, with much rhythmic development. The end is a fascinating four bars expressing an abstruse passage that has not been heard before.
The next movement, again an adagio commences with angelic, heavenly violin lines that I believe are based on the brief conclusion of the previous movement. The cello enters with a gentle pulse, while the violins continue with their strange, but ultimately beautiful melodic meanderings. A pause initiates another iteration of the previous mood, with the violins pleading in a sumptuous duet. This is music of angels. Now the cello creates a pulse and the violins take on a warmer texture, which unusually, races to an end.
The final movement is an ostinato-based passage, which undergoes several harmonic and subsequent melodic changes. A shift to a glissando based passage is brief but leads into a further change to a stilted rhythm. The violins are still quite vocal and we have further, this time moderate, glissandi. Nearing the end, there are some sweeping flourishes, one of which concludes the work.
This is a fabulous quartet, filled with wonder and a plethora of musical ideas. I was very taken by the emotional tone of some passages.
The review CD, Eröd: Die Streichquartette Nos. 1, 2, 3, performed by the Accord Quartet on the Gramola label is available on Amazon US and UK.
This CD is on Spotify. Only the last movement of the work is on YouTube but this sound clip contains a fascinating composer quote and a statement by some unknown source, as follows:
“Art is communication. When I write music, I aim for it to be heard and understood. Therefore I have to make use of a language that is at the very least understandable by a fairly large number of people. […] Originality of language at all costs is the enemy of communication.”
With these words, the Hungarian-born composer Iván Eröd in 1968 renounced an uncompromising avant-garde and therefore a restriction to new compositional techniques such as serial music or dodecaphony.
I find these two quotes to be very interesting, although I am not in total agreement with the sentiments expressed.
Listenability: One of three superb quartets to be found on this disc.