String Quartet No.3 in E-flat major - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

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Description

Performed by The Guarneri Quartet. Arnold Steinhardt (first violin), John Dalley (second violin), Michael Tree (viola) and David Soyer (cello).

I - Allegro: 0:00
II - Andantino pastorale: 9:11
III - Menuetto. Allegro - Trio - Tempo I: 16:37
IV - Presto agitato: 20:10

Arriaga's String Quartets were composed in 1823, when the composer was only sixteen years old. They can be considered the most outstanding works of its production. The Quartets would be the only work that the author would see published during his life, which is why his follow-up is particularly relevant.

The Arriaga quartets have been defined as brilliant and idiomatic. We can get an idea of ​​the general evaluation of the quartets through the biographical reference about the author in the Biographie Universelle des Musiciens of his professor Fétis: "It is impossible to imagine something more original, more elegant, more purely written than these quartets, They are not sufficiently known, and every time they were executed by their young author, they aroused the admiration of the listeners."

The certain thing is that Arriaga composed the quartets at an age of sixteen, to which none of the great composers had composed any similar form, not even indisputable geniuses such as Beethoven. In fact, the work has often been related to authors of this stature. In statements by Rosen "it is possible to listen to passages in the Work of Arriaga similar to Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini, although he sometimes fails to reach the complexity of the more mature works of these authors."

The style of the quartets can be placed between Late Classicism and early Romanticism, being able to compare it equally with Mozart's late work as well as the proto Romanticism of the young Beethoven. The third string quartet is the most technically developed of the three, in which Arriaga begins to break with his eighteenth century models (Haydn and Mozart) producing a work more in line with middle-period Beethoven, Schubert, and, most of all, Spohr.

The first movement is written in the classical sonata form. It begins with a restless main theme. The second theme, derived from the first, is presented as a melodic dialogue between the first violin and the cello. The first violin takes pride of place through much of the movement, although the writing is not extremely virtuosistic and the violin does often re-integrate itself into the main ensemble. Since the exposition deals mainly with the initial theme, Arriaga gives balance to the development section by working with the second theme as well as other lesser motives. The recapitulation is as expected with sonata form of the time as the first theme is repeated, and the second theme is heard in the home key. The coda fades away sweetly.

The second movement is written in a ternary form. The main theme is rustic, punctuated by rather woozy two-note figures that could allude to either birdsong or inebriated shepherds. The central section is nothing less than a storm sequence, already foreshadowed in the country air, and calling to mind similar episodes in Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony and Rossini's William Tell Overture. The storm subsides, and the movement ends with a recapitulation of the rustic main theme, this time full of pathos and dramatic expression, before ending gently.

The third movement is a ternary menuetto. The C minor menuetto is very hectic and gloomy, which could almost pass for Beethoven's style. The lyrical trio is more naïve and dance-like. This is the one moment in this quartet that is Haydnesque, although it relies on repetition far more than Haydn ever did. The dark and restless menuetto is repeated before ending in an inconclusive way.

The fourth movement is written in sonata form. The main theme is playful, with the protagonism of the first violin. The second theme is more dramatic, presented by the second violin. The strongest influence seems to come from Spohr, with its brilliant, agile writing (especially for first violin) and occasional nod to operatic style. In the recapitulation, the themes are taken by all instruments creating a hectic conversation that leads to a brilliant end.

Sources: https://bit.ly/2LyvgpV and https://bit.ly/30Gn22H

To check the score: https://bit.ly/3cwWlJh