Gorecki - String Quartet nr. 1 'Already It Is Dusk'

Gorecki's String Quartet nr. 1, op. 62 (1988) is a crazy piece. But I've held it in high esteem ever since I got hold of this Kronos Quartet CD (again!), where the quartet is coupled with an even wackier (and more spellbindingly beautiful) Lerchenmusik (for clarinet, piano and cello).

The quartet is short. But it packs a punch in its 14 minutes. It is composed in a very clear tripartite structure, starting with a very contemplative Molto lento, tranquillo, giving way to a wild Allegro deciso and returning to the Molto lento. The foundational theme (and the quartet's title) is taken from a four-part churchsong by a 16th century Polish composer. The melody is prominently presented in the Molto lento as a canonic cantus firmus, interrupted three times by fierce, dissonant chordal interjections. The polystylistic clashes remind of Schnittke. The Allegro deciso explodes like a bombshell. It's a no holds barred, obsessive country dance, lashing the unisono strings at a frantic speed from the highest registers to the lowest. An amazing piece of music that Gorecki has annotated with furioso, marcatissimo, tempestoso, con massima passione. It stops as abruptly as it started. Follows a repeat of the canon, pianissimo, and a very short, balmy coda showered with tonal, triadic harmony. Beautiful.

No reservations here as regards the performance of the Kronos Quartet. It's just perfect, it seems to me. The recording, taped at their usual venue Skywalker Ranch, is good too. As usual, it's not very spacious but I think that works well with the claustrofobic density of the music. The Lerchenmusik is fantastically performed too. The booklet notes by David Drew are very informative. Unfortunately the CD has disappeared from the Nonesuch catalogue.