COMPOSERS: Borodin
LABELS: Praga / Meloydia
ALBUM TITLE: Borodin
WORKS: String Quartet No. 1; String Quintet
PERFORMER: Kocian Quarte; Michael Kanka (cello)Borodin Quartet
CATALOGUE NO: PRD/DSD / MEL CD 100 0942 (reissue)
articulate musicians, with a rounded
overall sound and precise ensemble.
Sample a few bars at random from
either of their performances and
you might find the playing pleasant
enough – though the recording does
bring out a gritty, resiny quality in
the string tone.
What they lack is a sense of
dynamic contrast. Not only is there
very little audible difference between
their f and mf, but in passages like the
opening section of the First Quartet’s
scherzo there isn’t much more
between f and p. Over long stretches
it all sounds pretty drab. And I’m not
convinced by the way they handle the
tempo changes in the first movement
either. There really is no competition
between this and the Borodin’s
refined 1980 recording of the First
Quartet (coupled with its successor).
The original Borodin Quartet was
Soviet Russia’s star chamber ensemble
in the 1950s and ’60s, and these early
Melodiya recordings show them at
the height of their powers. Every
phrase is full of life, and the expressive
range is wide, from passion to tender
affection, from fiery exuberance to
gentle playfulness. The Borodin’s
‘default’ tone is ripe and intense, but the players show considerable variety
of colour, with subtle nuance as
well as full open-heartedness. They
also have a superbly vital sense of
the overall shape of both quartets:
ear-catching details – of which there
are plenty –are never allowed to
distract from the broader sense of
how each movement ebbs and flows.
Perhaps some of their pianissimos
could be a little softer, but contrast is
always strong. Considering the age
and provenance of the recordings,
the sound is remarkably good.
If you don’t need modern digital
stereo, this would easily make a top
recommendation. Stephen Johnson