Surprisingly (for it seems so against the odds) these have been good — even great — times for that apparently most elitist medium, the string quartet.
Surprisingly (for it seems so against the odds) these have been good — even great — times for that apparently most elitist medium, the string quartet. Longer-established groups have flourished and matured alongside the emergence of plentiful younger ones, sometimes of outstanding calibre. The inexhaustible extent of this incomparable repertoire has been, and continues to be, marvellously served by its current exponents.
Among whom the Endellion, just embarking on their 30th anniversary season, are not least. They cover the whole classic range from Haydn to Bartók, with liberal representation of recent and new works, with equal stylishness, energy, accomplishment: no eccentricities — a mainstream/bread-of-life presentation, obtruding nothing between the music and its realisation.
As their handsome new box of the totally complete Beethoven output for four and five string-players attests. The ten CDs contain, as well as the canonical 17 works for quartet and the one original quintet, a couple of sizeable transcriptions from the master’s hand, and some absorbing miniatures, or fragments from his workshop floor, scarcely known save to specialists (one only came to light in 1999) for both groupings. There is an example of workmanship at full length; the composer’s earliest (1799) and final (two years on) version of the first in his first published quartet-set, op. 18: an object-lesson, in terms of the musical substance itself, of how self-critical scrutiny isn’t satisfied with the already pretty good, but must always up the stakes.
The same goes for a more modest enterprise, transforming a very early wind octet into a string quintet (with extra viola): no masterpiece, yet a work of charm and invention, adroitly improved in every aspect by the rewrite — more elegant and expert, and running to generosity in a newly composed second trio to its minuet.
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