Bargiel String Quartets & String Octet

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from cpo:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/woldemar-bargiel-kammermusik/hnum/6096058

[Gareth Vaughan]

This release sounds very tempting indeed.

[izdawiz]

   I agree! Hope the USA Release comes soon

[Mark Thomas]

I don't know the string quartets, but the Octet is a very fine work. This is a definite buy for me.

[eschiss1]

I've heard the octet and several other works by Bargiel, more than enough to think this is a good idea. Are both of the "other two" string quartets completely missing, not even reasonably reconstructible- so that this just contains Opp. 15b & 47 (& octet)? (I may have misplaced my copy of Cacères' worklist- apologies, will check later.)

[Gareth Vaughan]

Since the release is a 2 disk set and states "String Quartets 1-4" (not 1 and 4) on the cover, I'm guessing, and hoping, it contains all 4 quartets. That said, while I can find Nos. 1, 3 and 4 given in various work lists, I haven't found a mention of a No. 2...  yet.

[Santo Neuenwelt]

I, too, have not found any reference to String Quartet No.2. No.1, if it exists anywhere, supposedly was completed in 1848 according to the English version of Wikipedia apparently based on an entry in the German version of Wikipedia and may be in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek in manuscript.

My quartet has on several occasions played Nos. 3, Op.15b and 4, Op.47 with a view toward making soundbites and reprinting the music. However, none of us felt it was worth the effort. In our opinion, they were rather pedestrian, with the melodic material unmemorable. By comparison, the Octet is an inspired, superb work. The piano trios are also quite good as is the violin sonata. All but the quartets have been recorded. Perhaps the quartets as well but I could find no release.

Still, I will look forward to this CD and will listen closely to the quartets to see if my opinion has changed.

[eschiss1]

I found my copy of Caceres' Bargiel Werkverzeichnis PDF.*

p.16: 1st string quartet, autograph, "September 48", 23 leaves (Bl.), "N. Mus.ms.autogr. W. Bargiel 11 N." is the "Berlin, SPK" (Preus. Kulturbesitz) shelfmark. No key is mentioned by Caceres. (The ohne opus list also mentions several other works at present just in manuscript including a whole Singspiel...?)

*Imperfect, of course; e.g. mentions the intermezzo Op.46 briefly - "composed before 1875" - without mentioning that it's just an orchestration of the slow movement of the piano sonata in C op.34... (presumably that would mean composed 1867, orchestrated before 1875, then...) - but still, a good PDF...

IIRC Caceres also wrote a rather substantial book on Bargiel in his time which I borrowed and skimmed to the very limited best of my very limited German. If there's anything about a 2nd quartet it might be in there, though. I'm guessing it's the arrangement of the octet for string quartet (such an arrangement is mentioned by Caceres.) A sort of Op.15c.

Hrm, the octet is dedicated to Ludvig Norman. Neat.

[Alan Howe]

The CD booklet tells us that both String Quartet No.1 in E major (1848) and No.2 in D minor (1849) are played here from manuscript sources. 

No.4 in D minor, Op.47 (composed and published 1888) strikes me as a major work in the genre, with masterful working-out of themes and clear compositional mastery in evidence. This'll be my Chamber Music Find of the Year, of that there is no doubt. I can't see how this is one jot inferior to the known masterpieces of its era. Its themes are memorable, there is tremendous variety of texture and dynamic and wonderful boldness of invention throughout. The section from 3:15 of the second (slow) movement is breathtaking in its beauty and extension. How can we have missed this fabulous work for so long?

[Alan Howe]

...oh, and by the way, the performance is exceptional.

[Alan Howe]

Has anyone else got hold of this release yet?