Intimate Voices: Sibelius String Quartets

Flinders Quartet

Intimate Voices: Sibelius String Quartets
Format
Audio
Publisher
Country
Published
4 September 2015
ISBN
0028948119820

Intimate Voices: Sibelius String Quartets

Flinders Quartet

‘Intimate Voices’ is a perfect musical arch that reaches across five movements - from the sheer delicacy of the opening to the frenzied finale. At the centre of the work stands an exquisite slow movement, marked with the ‘voces intimae’ inscription that gives the quartet its name. Flinders’ cellist Zoe Knighton describes this movement as the “heart and soul of the quartet … The layering of two sublimely beautiful themes works its way through to the absolute stillness of the ending - a true ‘hold your breath’ moment.”

 

This album also presents the early A minor quartet - a work in which we can hear the influences of Beethoven, Grieg and Mendelssohn, but also the emergence of the true and distinctive Sibelius sound.

2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jean Sibelius, and the Flinders Quartet have spent the year immersed in his much-neglected chamber music - including travelling to Sibelius’ homeland, Finland, to perform all of his works for string quartet. This recording is the culmination of that project, and the latest album from one of Australia’s most respected ensembles.

Review

Everyone knows Sibelius’s orchestral works – even if you don’t think you do, you’ve probably heard his enormously famous Finlandia at least once – which are stirring and sublime in character. I was delighted to discover that his string quartets are made of exactly the same stuff. With lush harmonies and delightful melodies peppering his String Quartets No 2 and No 4, I’ve had this new album on repeat since it arrived on my doorstep.

The other fantastic part of this recording is that it’s performed by Melbourne’s own Flinders Quartet. Their other two albums have been rotated on and off the stereo since they were released, not only because of their innovative style but also for their pure musicianship. This comes through again strongly in the recording of the Sibelius String Quartets. These four musicians sound like they’ve been playing together for a lifetime – each by turn effortlessly blending with the others and allowing them their moments as soloists. The opening conversation between the violin and cello is fantastic and it’s one of those sunshine moments when you first hear the four of them together. The only small sad thing about this recording is that I wish the other two string quartets were also included. We’ll just have to hope for a companion album in the years to come.


Kate Rockstrom

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