Infinite Voyage
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HINDEMITH / BERG / CHAUSSON / SCHOENBERG
Infinite Voyage
Barbara Hannigan (soloist), Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Emerson String Quartet
[ Alpha Classics / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 8 September 2023
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The title of this album evokes not only the life-long journey of all these musicians, but also a lasting friendship between soprano Barbara Hannigan and the Emerson String Quartet. One of the greatest string quartets of the last four decades, the Emersons will disband in October 2023.
Barbara and the Emersons were determined to record Schoenberg's Quartet No. 2 since they started performing the work together in 2015. "The sheer sonic scope of this work takes us on a voyage into previously uncharted territory" say the Emerson musicians. "It's like a tall, gnarly tree to climb (all the way to another planet, it seems), yet one with deep and emotional roots", continues Barbara Hannigan. "The soprano's fin-de- siecle primal scream at the end of the 3rd movement, begging to be relieved of love, is a heavy hitter".
Melancholie is a rare and intimate work by the young Hindemith, "a gem of a piece" that the Canadian soprano has wanted to explore for many years.
The fascinating Quartet Op. 3, composed by Berg in 1909 as he was finishing his apprenticeship with Schoenberg, features the quartet on its own.
And to round out the album, pianist Bertrand Chamayou joins Barbara and the Emersons for another deeply moving encounter by way of Chausson's heartbreaking Chanson perpetuelle.
"In 1976, four pals studying at Juilliard got together and formed a group. The Emerson String Quartet finally disbanded in October 2023, but before they went, they left this wee treasure, made with frequent collaborator Barbara Hannigan. It's all wonderfully played, with the group favouring a Romantic view of the Berg and Schoenberg. The highlights, though, are the lesser known pieces: Hindemith's Melancholie and Chausson's brief, beautiful Chanson Perpétuelle. What a way to go out." Richard Betts NZ Listener
"Much the finest experience comes in Schoenberg's quartet, where the Emerson Quartet 's playing masterfully combines forensic technical precision and expressive warmth. And Hannigan's identif ication with Schoenberg's extraordinary and exploratory music is complete and memorable" BBC Music
"The Emersons come to [the Schoenberg] as if it were new, hot from the press, and in doing so they recreate the sense of inordinate extravagance that made early audiences so uneasy." Gramophone Award Nomination 2024 - Chamber
Tracks:
Hindemith: Melancholie, Op. 13
Berg: String Quartet, Op. 3
Chausson: Chanson perpétuelle, Op. 37
Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor, Op. 10
