Barber, Ives: String Quartets
Escher String Quartet (BIS)
(scroll down for English review)
BIS似乎是想錄一套艾佛斯的作品全集，因為見它的艾佛斯專輯一張接一張。他兩首弦樂四重奏，填不滿一張CD的長度，用巴伯（唯一的）弦樂四重奏配搭是很好的選擇。演奏的艾舍弦樂四重奏來過香港，參加2015年的國際室樂節。
巴伯《弦樂四重奏》（軌一至四）正是《弦樂慢板》的出處，這裏就可以聽到它的四重奏原版（軌二），以及全首《弦樂四重奏》。不過此作其實不是四個樂章，而是三個，因為巴伯在寫完慢板後，不知怎樣收尾，寫了兩個版本的終曲，軌三是最終版，軌四是初版。更重要的問題是，慢板以外的樂章好不好聽？我的答案是：非常一般。
艾佛斯兩首弦樂四重奏有風格上的鴻溝，簡單而言，《第一弦樂四重奏》（軌五至八）是浪漫派，遲十幾年寫的《第二弦樂四重奏》（軌10至12）頗為前衛。兩者的共通點是艾佛斯用了不少美國旋律或聖詠做材料，分別在《第一弦樂四重奏》是你會知道他用了這類旋律，《第二弦樂四重奏》卻是不留痕跡，最容易發覺的倒是引用過貝多芬《歡樂頌》。
《第一》實在太易聽，《第二》我個人覺得更值得再聽，因為對我來說它和巴托的四重奏一樣是寫法前衛但又言之有物的作品。三個樂章都有標題：「對話及討論」、「爭辯」、「高山的召喚」，頭兩個標題很易明，就是四支樂器的對話及爭吵，而第三樂章則是在爭吵過去，一起去行山……概括來說，我覺得這曲就是聽張力的加深和減弱，但我必須強調這並非易聽的音樂。
I believe BIS is planning for a complete Ives edition, here’s yet another new Ives album from the label. The two Ives quartets were coupled with Barber’s only quartet to make up a full CD.
The String Quartet (tracks 1-4) was where Barber’s beloved Adagio for Strings came from. We don’t just get to hear the original version (track 2) but the two versions of the finale were included as well. Barber knew he had a knockout in the Adagio and found it hard to follow, he wrote a longer finale (track 4), then replaced it with a shorter one (track 3) which was basically a recap of the first movement. As for how does the whole quartet go aside from the adagio, my answer is: just ordinary.
The two Ives quartets are in quite different styles. The First Quartet (tracks 5-8) was written in a romantic idiom and incorporated many American melodies or hymns, Written about a decade later, the Second Quartet (tracks 10-12) was noticeably experimental. It also quoted many hymns but their presence was subtler, but it won’t be hard to catch Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.
The First Quartet is easy listening and doesn’t really require an introduction. On the contrary, the Second Quartet is more daring music and worthy of repeated listening. To me it is comparable to the Bartok quartets. The three movements each carried a title, depicting the conversation, then argument, of four persons who then went off for a hike to cool their heads. The wax and wane of tension and the interlocking of parts drive the quartet on.