Quatuors à cordes Volume 2

Description

Any close collaboration with the later works of the Austrian composer Karl Weigl soon becomes — and almost inevitably — an exercise in tracing origins. Driven into American exile by the illusions of a self-proclaimed superior race, he remained, like many of his contemporaries, so firmly connected to his cultural roots that a nostalgic glance back across the Atlantic becomes perceptible even when his music ventures into a relatively advanced musical language. He never relinquished tonal gravity, nor did he lose the undeniable grace he carried with him into exile. Thus, even in one of the most tragic moments of humanity (1939), when he entrusted his quartet with a deeply sincere and intimate prayer, he placed his faith in the healing power of beauty. And two years later, he was able to compose Trois Intermezzi which, from the first measure to the last, reveal the Viennese artist he remained throughout his life.