Reinhold Glière - String Quartet No. 2, Op. 20 (1905)

Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (Russian: Рейнгольд Морицевич Глиэр, Ukrainian: Ре́йнгольд Мо́ріцевич Гліер / Reingol'd Moritsevich Glier; born Reinhold Ernest Glier, which was later converted for standardization purposes; 11 January 1875 [O.S. 30 December 1874] - 23 June 1956), was a composer in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, of German and Polish descent.
String Quartet No. 2 in g minor, Op. 20 (1905)
Dedicated to Rimsky-Korsakov
1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante (11:34)
3. Vivace (20:36)
4. Orientale: Andante - Allegro (25:22)
Pulzus String Quartet
Of Gliere's chamber music, the respected scholar and critic Professor Sabaneiev wrote:
"His chamber compositions show him to have been an absolute master of form, and a virtuoso in his control of the resources of musical composition and expression...He excelled as a melodist and his themes often reveal the contours of the Russian style which he understood so well. He had a masterly knowledge of the instruments and of their resonance, hence his chamber works are astonishingly rich and well written."
String Quartet No.2 in g minor Op.20 dates from 1906 and was dedicated to Rimsky Korsakov. And though Gliere never studied with him, the music shows that he had absorbed all of the advances made by Rimsky. Additionally, it is also a tribute to Borodin and his interest in the exotic East. One can clearly hear echoes of Prince Igor as well as Scherezade. Wilhelm Altmann, perhaps the most famous chamber music critic of all, writes of it:
"Gliere's Second String Quartet is to be recommended even more than his noteworthy First Quartet. Its opening movement, Allegro moderato, is interesting both in the way it is constructed and the development of the themes, the second of which is based on a lovely Russian folk melody. The Andante which follows is very fine quartet writing and highly melodic. (It takes Borodin as its point of departure) The third movement is a very Russian-sounding Scherzo. The finale, marked Orientale, with its exotic melodies evokes the caravansaries and bazaars of Central Asia."
This quartet represents the epitome of the Russian National School in chamber music as developed over many long years by Rimsky Korsakov and Borodin. It is a massive work that will make an indelible impression upon any audience which has the pleasure of hearing it, and though not particularly easy, is not beyond the range of good amateur players.

[@StarriSprinkles]

VIOLA MINI SOLO ON THE FIRST MOVEMENT AYY

[@ezequielstepanenko3229]

The second movement is so melancholic and yet uplifting

[@tomboyer5608]

Thank you for posting this!! Gliere was a late Russian romatic writing well into the 20th century, so he was eclipsed by the likes of Shostakovich and Prokofiev (the latter studied with Gliere at the Moscow conservatory). Like Rachmaninov, another late Russian romantic, Gliere got no respect from modernists who dominated music criticism in the west, and the fact that Stalin liked Gliere probably didn't help Gliere's case. But this is first-rate music. If you like Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov, you'll like Gliere. Gliere's chamber music is wonderfully written. It's a challenging sight-read but high-quality readers should be able to give this a credible read on the first look. The violin parts are certainly challenging but not as tough as Tchaikovsky -- they don't require virtuoso skills to perform.

[@santiagosebastiansuarez]

such beatuiful composition, very well performed.

[@AndrewSmith-hi1fe]

What a magnificent piece!Thank you so much.

[@joshuaharper372]

Thank you for introducing me to these first two quartets by Glière! Amazing music, and suddenly in my top few favorite quartets.

[@paulprocopolis]

Ravishingly beautiful slow movement!

[@mieszqzablocky2281]

4th movement reminds me of grieg's quartet

[@TheodoreServin]

What a magnificent first movement! It's perfect music! I'm looking forward to the rest of Glière's quartets!

[@TheodoreServin]

@@bartjebartmans The third one is with the Bolshoi Quartet, but the 4th one is with the Beethoven Quartet.

[@bartjebartmans]

Thanks. I got it! Will be working on those to be complete. Nice, next to complete Glazunov and Shostakovich quartets I did already. Milhaud still many to go. Villa Lobos only 13, 14, 15 and 17 to go.

[@TheodoreServin]

@@bartjebartmans You're very welcome! Also, just in case you need it, I wrote a description of the 4th quartet, since I saw that Edition Silvertrust didn't have one for this piece.
"Reinhold Glière's String Quartet No. 4 in F minor was composed in 1943, 16 years after his 3rd quartet in D minor, and well into the Second World War. It was dedicated to the Beethoven Quartet, the famous Soviet ensemble, and it was awarded a Stalin prize in 1948 (he won 3 Stalin Prizes in his lifetime). It is a deeply romantic work, reminiscent of the 2nd quartet in G minor in terms of character and polyphonic texture; however, this quartet has more agitation and drama than the 2nd, and provides for an intense listening experience.
The opening movement, Allegro moderato, begins with a melancholic and Russian-sounding theme, which quickly becomes agitated. Soon after, a second, lyrical theme appears in D-flat major. The development is filled with intense but clear polyphony, leading to a very satisfying recapitulation; movement ends with a short, but ominous coda based on the first theme.
The second movement, a Vivace in B-flat major, is also very Russian in character, in a pleasant 3/8 meter. The trio in D major in a 2/8 meter has a similar character, but with muted strings, and interspersed with more lyrical lines.
The third movement, an Andante in D minor, is a deeply elegiac one, and is set as a theme with 10 variations. At times tragic, other times light, and still other times deeply tender, this movement is a truly gorgeous work of art.
The finale, an Allegro, begins with an intense and pointed fugato, before introducing a beautiful and heartfelt second theme. The piece is then transits into a dramatic and at times dissonant development, filled with fugue-like moments. The quartet ends with a vigorous and devilish coda, with fast-paced harmonic changes and sharp chords.
As with all of Glière's string quartets, the 4th is an extremely well-crafted work, deeply rooted in Russian romanticism, with a very human and deeply felt character, and it takes the listener on a beautiful and emotional roller-coaster. It is a masterpiece of late romantic chamber music, a relic from another world which managed to find itself in mid-twentieth-century Soviet Russia, and it deserves to be frequently performed by modern string quartet ensembles."

[@steveegallo3384]

@@TheodoreServin -- Erudite commentary! Please recommend your favorite Fourths. Thanks...from San Agustinillo, Oaxaca !

[@jimmywalsh6701]

👏

[@levandornis6568]

Poor second violin in the last movement... :D

[@lyubovkuchar2845]

Супер музика! Чому не виконується??(((

[@splatproductions99]

0:44

[@jagonalpa]

Inefable, etéreo.