Now here is some imaginative programming…!!! The string quartets of 19th century Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 20th century Sergei Prokofiev and 21st century Gabriel Prokofiev are combined on these three CD’s (of one big spotify playlist, to stay in 21st century terms ;-). The latter, Gabriel Prokofiev, is the grandson of Sergei Prokofiev, if you were asking… Performances by the Ruysdael quartet (who studied two years at the Berliner Hochschule with the Alban Berg quartet and did masterclasses with the Amadeus Quartett, Hagen Quartett and Quatuor Mosaïques) are exemplary.
The Strad was very positive about the first disc and all music writes about the third:
The Ruysdael Quartet approaches each of these compositions with an admirable level of intensity and commitment to detail. Their blended sound quality is especially enjoyable, with each instrument taking turns coming to the foreground at different points in the music. Overall tone of the quartet is dark and powerful, brilliantly balanced, and possessing an enviable palate of colors. Rhythmic precision, which is absolutely necessary for these works, is present in abundance. Virtually all other technical aspects of the performance are exceptional, save for some curious difficulties in intonation between first and second violins when playing in octaves. The majority of the playing, however, is at an extremely high level and coupled with the thoughtful programming and informative liner notes makes for a highly worthwhile disc.
And after hearing the playlist I wonder why these CD’s went by so unnoticed, actually. Anyway, here the are ad I hope you will enjoy them on Spotify!
Track 01-04 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Quartet no. 1 op. 11 (1871)
Track 05-07 Sergei Prokofiev — Quartet no. 1 op. 50 (1930)
Track 08-11 Gabriel Prokofiev — Quartet no. 1 (2003)
Track 12-15 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky— Quartet no. 2 op. 22 (1874)
Track 16-18 Sergei Prokofiev — Quartet no. 2 op. 92 (1941)
Track 19-22 Gabriel Prokofiev — Quartet no. 2 (2006)
Track 23-26 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Quartet no. 3 op. 30 (1875)
Track 27-30 Sergei Prokofiev — Sonata for 2 violins op. 56 (1932)
Track 31-35 Gabriel Prokofiev — Quartet nr. 3 (2010)
Ruysdael Quartet
Emi Ohi Resnick, violin
Joris Van Rijn, violin
Gijs Kramer, viola
Jeroen Den Herder, cello
Recorded between 2008 and 2010
(Webplayer link)
Sergei and Gabriel Prokofiev
