© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Dante Quartet: Stirring Up Impressionist Energy

The string quartets by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel not only rank among the most recorded string quartets, they are most often found together on the same recording. Debussy composed his quartet in 1893, Ravel 10 years later. The musical style of both composers has been tagged impressionist, named after the French impressionist tradition of painting. There's a new recording of the works by the Dante Quartet, which has reminded me of the time I first heard this music.

When I was a young student, I liked most every kind of classical music except the string quartet. Then I heard the second movement of Debussy's quartet with its plucked, pizzicato rhythms and exotic melodies, and my ears opened to the possibilities of string quartet sound. Debussy's third movement also struck me as special. And listening to these many years later, I'm still surprised by how the melodies glide with simplicity while moving in and out of sensuous, complex harmonies.

Debussy's quartet remained my favorite for many years, but gradually the Ravel began to intrigue me more — especially through its contrasts between relaxation and surprise. Stir up too much energy in Ravel's music and it gets frothy, stir too little and it tastes like skim milk. The Dante Quartet finds just the right balance for Ravel, especially when the composer is artfully lean.

/

I'm open to many interpretations of these quartets, as if the music were an impressionist painting whose magic is that it never quite comes into focus. The Dante performances are etched more than most, as if they'd used fine brush strokes to carve musical shapes, rather than broad strokes that would create more wash of the musical colors. It's a fine recording, and one that adds another revealing view of these masterpieces.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tom Manoff
Composer and author Tom Manoff has been the classical music critic for NPR's All Things Considered since 1985.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.