Josef Beneš

[razorback]

I saw M. Yablonsky's recent post on CD cover art in a post about J.F. Forrester.  Included therein is a CD cover of a certain Josef Benes.  The CD is labeled 'Complete String Quartets, performed by the Martinu Quartet on the Supraphon label.  This prompted a search for this particular CD.  I used identifiers like Joseph Benesch, Martinu Quartet, and Supraphon on sites ranging from jpc to discogs.  After all this I was left with one question:  is Josef Benes made of whole cloth and if so, where on earth can I find some trace of this CD?  That the man existed, that I now know, but what happened to the CD containing his chamber music appears to be only known to M. Yablonsky and God.  If anyone out there can help me access this CD, I would appreciate it.

[Mark Thomas]

Try this: https://www.supraphonline.cz/album/704939-benes-smyccove-kvartety-komplet

[Alan Howe]

Info about the composer here:

https://prabook.com/web/josef.benes/3719920
https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Bene%C5%A1,_Josef
https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.1%2C_Op.28_(Bene%C5%A1%2C_Josef)
https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.2%2C_Op.30_(Bene%C5%A1%2C_Josef)

From Edition Silvertrust:

Josef Beneš Josef Beneš (1795-1873), known his lifetime by the German form of his name, Benesch, was born in the Moravian town of Batelov, then part of the Habsburg Empire and now in the Czech Republic. He began to study the violin at an early age and was quickly recognized as a child prodigy. After moving to Vienna, he became one of the city's leading violinists and chamber musicians, enjoying a career as a soloist and eventually succeeding Ignaz Schuppanzigh as K.u.K. court violinist and first violin of his string quartet. Beneš also served as a music director both in Laibach (todays Lubjana) and Vienna. He not only composed several works for his own instrument but also some chamber music.

His String Quartet No.2 was published in 1871 but most scholars believe it was composed during the late Biedermeier era, perhaps around 1840. In four movements, the opening Allegro moderato is warm and sunny, typical of the romantic style of the late Biedermeier. The Allegro vivo scherzo which follows is much in the same mood, pleasant and attractive. The third movement, Poco adagio, is darker and more serious. The finale, Allegro, is genial and upbeat.

This is an attractive work, not at all hard to play, and important because it is a typical example of the chamber music of those Biedermeier composers who were producing true chamber music rather than vehicles merely to show off technique.

[razorback]

Thank you for the updates but my most important question remains unanswered:  Is this CD a new release or remanent of the past, long out-of-print and generally unavailable for purchase unless you get lucky.

[Alan Howe]

Why not try emailing Supraphon? info@supraphon.com

The Supraphon link posted by Mark Thomas says: "v prodeji od 14.10", which means "on sale from 14.10". Perhaps it's a forthcoming release?

[razorback]

Thanks, I can try that.  I don't have a translator on my I-pad and could not decipher what was on the Supraphon post.  Does anyone own this CD?  Is the music worth a listen?

[Mark Thomas]

The CD won't be released until October, as Alan has just posted, so no one will have it yet. You can hear audio samples of the quartets on the Supraphon page to which I gave the link. If you paste that link into Google Translate, you'll get the page translated into English.

[semloh]

And, if the samples are anything to go by, beautiful music it is too!