He has lectured at Darmstadt and taught composition at the
Musikhochschule Hannover. Lachenmann’s musical language embraces an entire
sound-world made accessible through unconventional playing techniques though,
in his later works, he has simplified his forms. Lachenmann has received many
distinguished awards and, in 2008, was appointed Fromm Visiting Professor at
the Music department at Harvard University.
His compositions include choral and vocal works, orchestral
works, concerted works, chamber works and instrumental works as well as pieces
for for one and two pianos.
Of his chamber works,
the three String Quartets provide an excellent insight into Lachenmann’s sound
world, ranging, as they do, from 1972 to 2000/01. Mode Records www.moderecords.com have just released a new recording of these quartets from the JACK
Quartet www.jackquartet.com . Comprising violinists Christopher Otto and
Ari Streisfeld, violist John Pickford Richards, and cellist Kevin McFarland,
the JACK Quartet is focused on the commissioning and performance of new works
and has worked closely with many contemporary composers including Helmut
Lachenmann.
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| mode 267 |
Gran Torso (1972)
(String Quartet No.1) opens with rasps and strange harmonics with lightly
played, bouncing bows. There are shrieks and outbursts before a short silent
passage. When the silence ends, louder scrapings and percussive sounds can be
heard, offset with little pizzicato notes. Slowly there are occasional longer
bowed phrases to offset the sharper sounds. Little rising, sliding motifs also offset
the sharper sounds, sounds that are like no other string sounds one has heard. A
hushed section follows that soon grows into a fierce group of sounds, with sawing,
shunting, rushing effects. This leads to another hushed, gently swirling section
from which little motifs arise, all constructed with much sensitivity and care.
It is quite amazing how these players achieve such a
sustained hush. Another pause precedes more hushed whispers from which new
sounds arise, often percussive, sometimes like course breathing. The music continues
in this vein for some time, with just the occasional outburst of sound until, eventually,
the sounds become more dynamic with percussive sounds, the squeaks and rasps of
the opening, pizzicato notes and short sharp sounds. Eventually a hovering background
is heard from which the preceding sounds re-appear, even more dramatically,
with growls and rasps from the players strings. Again a longer bowed phrase is
heard but it is the strange sounds that take us soaring until we are grounded
again by short, sharp little noises that grow ever quieter. There are sudden
strikes on the strings, punctuated by pauses in the coda.
This is music that requires intense concentration. It is a
difficult but very fascinating work, that requires the listener to cast aside
accepted ideas, particularly on string playing technique.
A short phrase opens Reigen
seliger Geister (Dance of the
Blessed Spirits) (1989) (String Quartet No.2) before we are whisked around
strange bowed string phrases reminiscent, at times, of Bartok’s night music. Lachenmann
creates some incredibly strange sounds from his four string players, fleeting,
shifting, quicksilver phrases that rush around, perhaps creating the image of
the ‘Blessed Spirits’. Much of the music is hushed. A little way in, string
sounds emerge from the hush in rushing, dynamic phrases, only to retreat into
the quiet. Later long bowed phrases emerge at a variety of pitches around which
quieter sounds are heard. Sharper, shrill high notes emerge. Eventually the
whole quartet plays longer, louder phrases with dissonances as the music
emerges more solidly than ever before. Short punctuated phrases appear shooting
out, later dancing around, before becoming more agitated. Towards the end the
music softens with little bow phrases and strange descending phrases, rasping
in quality as the ‘Spirits’ seem to fade. There is a quiet shimmering
background from out of which sounds emerge before silence pervades.
Grido (‘Cry’ or
‘shout’) (2000-01) (Third Quartet) brings rising and falling motifs that swirl
around, developing in dissonance and dynamics. The music soon falls quieter but
with little outbursts followed by even more hushed playing as curious phrases
shoot out, each constantly changing. Soon there is a long held, unison, growling
phrase that leads to a livelier, dynamic section, with each of the players
providing a different motif. Passionate, anguished phrases appear, becoming
increasingly frantic before becoming more quicksilver and fleeting. Later the
intensity returns but eventually falls to a hush with just a background murmur
and occasional sudden outbursts of a variety of sounds. The strings rise up and
provide motifs high in the register before moving to a wider range of pitch,
sounding off each other in an exciting section but, again, the music quietens before
leading up to an insistent ‘drone’ from all players – almost like the drone of
bagpipers, such is the harmony, which is always varying. Long held notes lead
to a quieter section though with violent outbursts before the music falls to
end on a single pizzicato note.
Of the three quartets on this disc this is the one that I
would recommend starting with. The musical language, whilst still consistently
Lachenmann’s, is easier to comprehend with more conventional use of
instruments.
For many this is music that will strain the bounds of their
understanding. Certainly this is very challenging music that requires the
listener to cast aside accepted ideas.
The JACK Quartet provides extremely accomplished playing in
this incredibly demanding music. The
recordings, made between 2007 and 2011 at various venues are extremely good and
there are interesting booklet notes by Paul Griffiths.
I must mention that the CD insert gives an incorrect timing
for Gran Torso as 21’38 whereas it lasts 24’15.
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