On November 29th, a fantastic new 2 CD set will drop that is sure to shake things up in the classical music world.
Canada’s renowned Eybler String Quartet have recorded music of the violist, composer and contemporary of Beethoven, Franz Weiss.
For the majority of us who are not familiar with Franz Weiss, he was a virtuoso violist and member of the legendary Schuppanzigh Quartet. A string quartet that is known to have performed Beethoven’s late string quartets. They also performed regularly for the Russian Ambassador to Vienna Count Adrey Razumovsky; the same patron that commissioned Beethoven’s Op. 59 Razumovsky Quartets his string quartets numbers 7, 8 and 9.
Called The Other Razumovsky Quartets, this two CD set showcases Weiss’ grand scale, Op 8 string quartets that were composed on a commission from Count Andrey Razumovsky.
Weiss’s two quartets are full of drama, and wonderful sonorities very reminiscent of Beethoven. The quartets demonstrate that Weiss understood the string quartet form perfectly and what the ensemble was capable of. The textures are at times thick verging on an almost symphonic scale, with the melody always clearly shining through.
This is a terrific recording and a wonderful addition to the repertoire.
The Eybler Quartet started the exploration of Weiss’s music as the result of a random email. Dr. Mark Ferraguto from Pennsylvania State University reached out to the quartet to see if they would be willing to read through the quartets, because Ferraguto wanted to publish a scholarly edition of the Op. 8 quartets.
The Eyblers agreed to play the quartets, but prepared Ferraguto for the worst, not expecting that the quartets would be worth exploring in depth, let alone recording.
When the quartet finally did sit down to play them, they were amazed at the quality and inventiveness of the music. As violist for the Eybler Quartet Patrick Jordan says, “We sat down and read them, and it was like ‘Oh this is pretty good.”
One of the things that amazed the quartet was the expansiveness of the quartets. “At a certain point we were like ‘this is big...this is really long.’ And then you come to this moment in the music where time sort of stands still and there are these unbelievably beautiful suspensions that happen, and it is like ‘okay you’ve got my attention again,” says Jordan.
The Eyblers read off first edition parts that were incredibly old and had numerous inconstancies. They spent a great deal of time figuring out discrepancies in the parts and reworking the parts so that the new, scholarly publication of the score would make sense for other performers wanting to play Weiss’s quartets. Julia Wedman is one of the violinists for the Eybler Quartet, as she explains, “It was kind of a fun process, because we are the first people to try things out. We had to make some decisions about things, and also, Mark [Ferraguto] had to make decisions about things... When we are working on this unknown repertoire, we often think of it as a steppingstone for other groups. We hope that other quartets will listen to this amazing music and say ‘Wow! That’s really cool. I want in on that”
Weiss’s style is reminiscent of Beethoven, but the members of the quartet believe that the two composers influenced each other. As Jordan says, “They met in the court of Count Lichnowsky who was the brother-in-law of Razumovsky. Beethoven and Weiss remained close friends and close collaborators for 30 years, so my theory is there is influence both ways.”
The character of Beethoven is present in Weiss’s music, but Wedman makes the case that he is a composer who really does connect to many other composers of the time. “I think one of the most exciting things about playing this music, is that his [musical] voice suddenly puts together so many of the different voices from that period. The composers who we know so well like Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Haydn...they have such unique voices. To me, Beethoven and Schubert are worlds apart, but when you play Franz Weiss’s music you realize they are not worlds apart, they are one step apart and that step is Weiss. It is like connective tissue in a way, between all these composers. I hear Mendelssohn in there, Mozart in there, Schubert in there, and Haydn’s humor in there too. So, I think that was the exciting part for us.”
Aside from the excellent quality of the music, both Wedman and Jordan make the point that the string writing is clearly written for professional players...not for the faint of heart. It is highly virtuosic and written for a quartet that could handle the parts, such as the Schuppanzigh Quartet. As Jordan explains, “All the players in this group [The Schuppanzigh Quartet] were hot shots. They were the quartet in residence at the Razumovsky Palace. They played every Friday in the music room there for the gentry and whoever Razumovsky wanted to invite.”
The two Op 8 Quartets of Franz Weiss are a marvelous edition to the repertoire. The recording that the Eybler Quartet has made is spectacular and a great “steppingstone” into the world of Franz Weiss. This is music that needs to be heard and enjoyed! And thankfully the Eybler Quartet has given listeners an opportunity to discover this music for the first time.
Take a trip back in time to the early 19th century Palace of Count Andrey Razumovsky and let the Eybler Quartet be your 21st century version of the Schuppanzigh Quartet.
