Presents
Erich Zeisl
String Quartet No.2 in d minor
Erich Zeisl (1905-1959) was born in Vienna. Considered a musical prodigy, he entered the Vienna State Music Academy at the age of 14 where he studied with Joseph Marx, Richard Stöhr and Hugo Kauder. Not long after, his music was being published. Despite the fact that he was considered one of Austria's leading composers, having won the prestigious State Prize in 1934, nonetheless, when the Nazis invaded in 1938, because of his Jewish background, he was forced to flee, eventually settling in Los Angeles where he made a living writing for the film industry, which allowed him to time to work on more serious compositions. His style is essentially tonal though not without some discordance, he never adopted atonal music and his music is conservative by comparison to that of the Second Vienna School.
His String Quartet No.2 in d minor dates from 1953. The manuscript to his first string quartet was lost. The opening movement, Peasante, allegro, begins with a gripping theme of four notes. One feels the music is a descendant of Late Beethoven, updated by a century. Later a second theme, a sort of Hungarian traveling music is introduced. The lovely second movement, Andante, is played muted. It begins with the first violin playing a faintly Hebraic melody to the hushed accompaniment of the other voices. This is followed by a Scherzo which while not devoid of melody is clearly dominated by its rhythm which creates a restless mood while a contrasting trio almost sounds jazz-like. The finale, Rondo vivace, also has a jazzy feel to it.
It is a shame that this fine quartet is not presented to audiences rather than those of Schoenberg or Elliott Carter for they would surely get much more enjoyment from a work of this sort. We recommend it to professional ensembles as well as advanced and experienced amateur players.
Parts: $24.95
