Harmonia Mundi: The Heath Quartet — Tchaikovsky String Quartets No. 1 & No. 3 (Audio CD)

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Product Details:

• UPC: 093046760528
• Catalog Number: HMU 907665
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Harmonia Mundi (harmonia mundi usa)
• Performer: The Heath Quartet
• Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
• Release Year: 2016
• Genre: Classical
• Style: String Quartet, Chamber Music

Product Features

• Format: CD
• Discs: 1
• Total runtime: 66:24
• Ensemble: Oliver Heath & Cerys Jones (violins), Gary Pomeroy (viola), Chris Murray (cello)
• Production: USA
• Condition: Brand new, factory sealed

Overview

The Heath Quartet's harmonia mundi debut pairs two contrasting Tchaikovsky string quartets: the lyrical First and the darker, more turbulent Third.

The String Quartet No. 1 in D major (1871) is best known for its slow movement, the "Andante cantabile" — a melody Tchaikovsky built on a folk tune he heard a workman singing. It became one of his most beloved pieces in his own lifetime, reportedly moving Tolstoy to tears. The Heath Quartet plays it without sentimentality, letting the line speak plainly.

The String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor (1876) is a different world: written in memory of the violinist Ferdinand Laub, it is grief-stricken and dramatic, with a long, dark slow movement that functions almost as a funeral elegy. The contrast between the two works is the point of the program.

Critics praised the recording's force and conviction on release. This is a clean, modern reading of repertoire more often left to Russian ensembles, played by one of Britain's leading younger quartets.

Interesting Facts

• The "Andante cantabile" from Quartet No. 1 was based on a folk song Tchaikovsky overheard sung by a house painter at his sister's estate.
• The String Quartet No. 3 is dedicated to the memory of Ferdinand Laub, a violinist and friend of the composer who had recently died.
• The Heath Quartet, formed in 2002, won the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for chamber music in 2013.
• This album marked the Heath Quartet's first recording for the harmonia mundi label.
• Tchaikovsky wrote only three numbered string quartets, far fewer than his orchestral and operatic output.
• The Guardian praised the recording for the conviction and bravura of the performances.

Track Listing

String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 (1871) — 31:04 1–4.

String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor, Op. 30 (1876) — 35:18 5–8.

Publishers

℗ © 2016 harmonia mundi usa. Catalog HMU 907665. Production: USA.

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