Review of Schumann’s Quartet – 1923

1923 was a year of crisis in many respects: hyperinflation and Hitler’s coup had shaken the country, but on the other hand the arts were thriving. The compositions chosen by the Schumann Quartet for this CD were written in 1923, and musically reflect, in their diversity, the different currents of the time: the radical explorations of the soul in the string quartets of Leosz Janáček or Alban Berg, and the musical satirist. A joke in Paul Hindemith’s “Minimax – Repertory for Military music”, but also Schulhoff’s colorful mixture of styles or Aaron Copland’s relatively quiet vocal explorations. What is impressive is how much artistic depth and stylistic confidence the Schumann Quartet – whose name refers not to the composer, but to the surnames of three of its members – brings these musically very different works to the point. A journey back to the early days of modernity, which – as becomes clear when you listen to it – is in many ways closer to us than you might think.

1923 – 100 years of radio
Janacek: String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata”, Copland: Movement, Hindemith: Minimax, Berg: String Quartet Op. 3, Schulhof: 5 pieces

Schumann Quartet
Berlin classics

Schumann Quartet

The three brothers Mark, Eric and Ken Shuman have been playing together since their early childhood. Viola player Lisa Randallo, who has been a member of the quartet since 2012, decided to pursue other career paths last summer. That’s why…continue