Prokofiev - String Quartet nr. 1

Prokofiev's String Quartet nr. 1, op. 50, hails from 1930, very much the same period of the Fourth Symphony which I listened to earlier. Stylistically it's a transitional period between the expressionistic excesses of the Twenties and the New Simplicity he would further develop in the Soviet Union. The Quartet was composed in response to a commission of the US Library of Congress. Prokofiev has not made a big contribution to the quartet repertoire. There are only two. Which is a pity. I can't see why he wouldn't have been able to write a more substantial body of work, even when it was dramatic instinct and melodic invention rather than architectural profundity that governed most of his output. But maybe that territory was already claimed by Shostakovich (although he started late).

In preparing for the First Quartet Prokofiev closely studied Beethoven's examples. And that is reflected in the classically poised construction and the clear contours of the work. In a way Prokofiev returns to the pungy kind of neo-classicism that made his First Symphony such a success. If it sounds Beethovenian, then it's more akin to the op. 18 than the middle or late quartets. So maybe its better to call it Haydnesque. The fast tempos that dominate the first two movements reinforce the impression of youthfulness. All in all it's a pleasant work to listen to: not very challenging but breezy and spicy. Clearly not in the Bartok class, but then that would likely be an unfair comparison.

I have two versions in my collection. First a 1994 recording by the Aurora String Quartet on Naxos. These are members of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. This version didn't appeal to me on account of its limited sonic qualities (annoyingly resonant acoustics, glassy highs, lack of space). The playing seems at times a little scrawny to me as well. The reading by the St Petersburg Quartet on Delos (recorded 1999) is a good deal more successful, both as an interpretation and as a recording. I particularly liked the athletic Andante molto here. Still, I have the impression that none of these quartets realises the full potential of this work. I'm now going to try to find the more recent recording of the young Pavel Haas Quartet, which was released to considerable acclaim.