Weinberg: String Quartets No. 2, 5, 8
Arcadia Quartet (Chandos)
(scroll down for English review)
終於有人開始錄第二套魏恩貝格弦樂四重奏全集（共17首），由來自羅馬尼亞的Arcadia Quartet演奏。這也是嘗試這套曲目的好起點，因為選奏的三首都不是「硬嘢」，相當易聽。
真的想由易入深就先聽《第五》（軌五至九），五個樂章都有標題（旋律、詼諧曲、諧謔曲、即興曲、小夜曲），而且魏恩貝格把旋律寫得很突出，你毋須擔心聽不出來，「旋律」及「即興曲」最接近慢板，「諧謔曲」的急速帶點難度，「小夜曲」的輕鬆氣氛之中但有刺激的中段。
《第二》（軌一至四）是魏恩貝格的學生作品，但他在晚年修改過並改了第三個樂章。第一樂章的輕快應該毋須解釋，我最喜歡是第二樂章，這個慢板主體是個含蓄的悲歌，中段有較開朗的段落，巧妙在魏恩貝格之後將兩者混而為一，悲中帶喜，再由悲傷結尾。
剛才兩首都是廿多分鐘，《第八》只得十幾分鐘，雖然分成三軌（軌10至12）但其實是一個樂章。假如你喜歡《第二》的慢板，你也會喜歡佔了全曲一半的第一段（軌10），分別在它有較為強烈的擴張，第二段是先輕鬆後急速，最短的第三段回歸緩慢。
The 2nd recorded cycle of the Weinberg quartets is to be with Arcadia Quartet on Chandos. This 1st entry is also a perfect introduction to Weinberg’s 17 string quartets. The 2nd, 5th and the 8th quartets are all easy listening pieces.
You might like to start with the 5th quartet (tracks 5-9) whose five movements all come with titles: Melody, Humoresque, Scherzo, Improvisation and Serenade. The melodies are so prominent you can’t miss them. “Melody” and “Improvisation” are closest to slow movements, “Scherzo” is frenetic and “Serenade” has an exciting middle section despite its title.
The 2nd quartet (tracks 1-4) is a student work but Weinberg revised it in his old age, adding an extra movement also. The 1st movement requires no introduction but I love the subdued 2nd movement, an elegy. There is a light-hearted middle section but then Weinberg combined it with the opening elegy, juxtaposing the contrasting emotions.
The 8th quartet (tracks 10-12) is a shorter work, despite the three tracks it is essentially a one-movement work. If you like the slow movements of the 2nd quartet you’ll like this 1st section too. It has an even broader expansion. The 2nd section progresses from light to rapid but the coda-ish 3rd section revisits the opening and brings it home.