Sergei Prokofiev: String Quartets 1&2, Visions fugitives Quatuor Danel

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor, op. 50:
• 1 Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor, op. 50: I. Allegro 06:31
• 2 Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor, op. 50: II. Andante molto. Vivace. 06:43
• 3 Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 1 in B Minor, op. 50: III. Andante 08:15
• String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, op. 92:
• 4 Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, op. 92: I. Allegro sostenuto 06:05
• 5 Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, op. 92: II. Adagio 06:52
• 6 Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, op. 92: III. Allegro. Andante molto. 08:27
• Visions Fugitives, op. 22:
• 7 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: I. Lentamente 01:16
• 8 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: II. Andante 01:33
• 9 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: III. Allegretto 00:58
• 10 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: IV. Animato 00:53
• 11 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: V. Molto giocoso 00:26
• 12 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: VI. Con eleganza 00:31
• 13 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: VII. Pittoresco 02:04
• 14 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: VIII. Commodo 01:14
• 15 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: IX. Allegro tranquillo 01:02
• 16 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: X. Ridicolosamente 01:06
• 17 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XI. Con vivacità 01:15
• 18 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XII. Assai moderato 01:18
• 19 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XIII. Allegretto 00:42
• 20 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XIV. Feroce 01:01
• 21 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XV. Inquieto 00:53
• 22 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XVI. Dolente 01:56
• 23 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XVII. Poetico 00:57
• 24 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XVIII. Con una dolce lentezza 01:13
• 25 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XIX. Presto agitatissimo e molto accentuato 00:44
• 26 Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives, op. 22: XX. Lento irrealmente 02:14
• Total Runtime 01:06:09

Info zu Sergei Prokofiev: String Quartets 1&2, Visions fugitives

Quatuor Danel present Sergei Prokofiev’s rarely heard string quartets in a stunning new recording. Prokofiev composed only two quartets, yet these works reveal his genius in crafting masterpieces within a genre he rarely explored.

The String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50, was commissioned by the Library of Congress during Prokofiev’s American tour in 1930. Its intricate textures and unconventional form, culminating in a poignant slow finale, showcase Prokofiev’s unique voice and meticulous attention to detail. String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92, composed during Prokofiev’s wartime exile in the Caucasus, integrates Kabardinian folk themes into a vibrant, classical framework.

Completing the album is the Visions Fugitives, a series of fleeting miniatures originally written for piano and arranged for string quartet. This adaptation highlights Prokofiev’s kaleidoscopic tonal palette and lyrical depth. Recorded in the Mendelssohn Hall of Leipzig’s Gewandhaus in March 2024, this album offers a deeply immersive journey into Prokofiev’s “closed world” - a magical blend of drama, intimacy, and innovation that defines his chamber music legacy.

"Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives , 20 short pieces the composer wrote for piano between 1915 and 1917, performed here in an arrangement for string quartet by Sergei Samsonov, is perhaps a bit of an odd choice as a complement to the two string quartets, but the sad fact (our loss) is that Prokofiev didn’t really compose much chamber music. These two string quartets, a Quintet for mixed winds and strings, a couple of sonatas for violin and piano, a Sonata for cello and piano, a Sonata for two violins, and a Sextet, better known as Overture on Hebrew Themes , are about the extent of it, unless one counts a few miscellaneous pieces for violin and piano and for cello and piano. Though the Visions fugitives string quartet arrangement is not in Prokofiev’s hand, it makes more sense to me as a disc filler than does the Emerson Quartet’s choice of the two-violin sonata—the identical program offered by the Pavel Haas Quartet—or the St. Petersburg Quartet’s choice of a not very appealing 1985 string quartet by Georgian composer Zurab Nadarejshvili. And Energie Nove’s choice is certainly preferable to the Chilingrian Quartet’s filler on Chandos, which is nothing, a 43-minute disc I’m now retiring from my collection.

I’m hoping to hear a lot more from Quartetto Energie Nove in the future. Meanwhile, this new Prokofiev offering is strongly recommended." (FANFARE, Jerry Dubins)

Quatuor Danel

The Quatuor Danel
was founded in 1991 and has operated in its current formation since cellist Yovan Markovitch joined the group in 2014. Their packed concert diary takes them to all major concert stages worldwide and over the past 30 years they have made a series of ground-breaking CD recordings. Their musical partners include major artists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Alexander Melnikov, Adrien La Marca, Clemens Hagen and the Borodin Quartet. The group is known for their bold, focused interpretations of the string quartet cycles of Beethoven, Shostakovich and Weinberg. Their lively and fresh vision on the traditional quartet repertoire subsequently earned them rave reviews from the public and the press.

Russian composers occupy a special place in Quatuor Danel’s repertoire. They championed Shostakovich’ once unknown string quartets and recorded the complete cycle for Fuga Libera. Danel was the first quartet to record another great string quartet cycle of the twentieth century: Mieczysław Weinberg’s 17 quartets. Their performance in Manchester and Utrecht was the first ever live interpretation of the complete Weinberg cycle worldwide. In addition to a double cycle at the Wigmore Hall the quartet has performed the Weinberg and Shostakovich cycles at the Philharmonie de Paris, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, ElbPhilharmonie Hamburg, Phillips Collection Washington and in Japan and Taiwan.

Quatuor Danel is a quartet in residence at the University of Manchester, Great Britain.

The quartet’s latest CD release contained César Franck’s string quartet and piano quintet as well as a Tchaikovsky edition with all three quartets and the sextet ‘Souvenir de Florence’. Both CDs were released with CPO. In April 2024 the live recording of the complete Shostakovich string quartets – recorded at the Gewandhaus Leipzig – will be released on label Accentus.

2024-2025 brings the Quatuor Danel to Leipzig again, firstly for the performance and recording of Prokofiev’s string quartets, but also for the presentation of all of Shostakovich’ string quartets during a large-scale commemoration for the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death. The quartet tours Japan, the United States, Taiwan and South Korea and is artist in residence at London’s Wigmore Hall. In Europe they can also be heard in Amsterdam, Linz, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Gohrisch, Madrid and many other important stages and festivals. Musical partners for that season will, amongst others be François Frédéric Guy, Quatuor Arod and Marianna Shirinyan.

Booklet für Sergei Prokofiev: String Quartets 1&2, Visions fugitives