As a creative artist,
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) was perhaps the most accomplished of the
late-19th-century Russian nationalist composers; his remarkable gifts were
evident in nearly every work he wrote. Alas, there aren’t very many, for
composing was always merely his part-time job. Indeed, it often took years for
works to be finished or—as in the case of his masterpiece, Prince Igor—never
be finished at all. But such was not the case with his String Quartet No. 2 in
D Major (1881), a piece that flowed rather quickly from Borodin’s pen. Not
surprising given his motivation: The D Major Quartet is a love letter to his
wife, Ekaterina, an evocation of when they fell in love some two decades
earlier. The quartet’s Nocturne is independently famous, given its long,
ardent and tender melody.
Quite Borodin’s opposite
was Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936), one of Russia’s most prolific composers
and a master of classical form. When he was only 16 he produced his Five
Novelettes for String Quartet, Op. 15, a colorful work with movements evoking
Spain, the Orient, Hungary and, of course, Russia.
Though Peter Tchaikovsky
(1840-1893) composed three quartets, his String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op.
11 (1871) is often thought of simply as the Tchaikovsky quartet, and
rightfully so. The Andante cantabile second movement is one of his most
beloved creations—a glowingly beautiful rendition of a melancholy Russian folk
song.
All three of these works
will be performed by the Philomusica String Quartet at the Wisconsin Conservatory of
Music on Feb. 7.
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