The
Danish String Quartet's
Prism V is the last in a series of "Prism" releases, each presenting one of
Beethoven's five late string quartets, prefaced by a
Bach work that could have been a source for some of
Beethoven's thematic material, and followed by a more contemporary work. The idea is a promising one, for
Beethoven indisputably made a deep study of Bachian counterpoint in his later years, and several releases in the series have been revelatory. The finale seems to offer an attractive symmetry; the opening
Bach work is the
Chorale Prelude, BWV 668 ("Vor deinem Thron tret' ich"), which was published with
The Art of Fugue and was
Bach's last completed composition, and the program proceeds with
Beethoven's
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135,
Beethoven's final full piece. The thematic links in this case are a bit hazier than on the other albums, and making the
Beethoven quartet sound
Bach-inspired takes quite a bit of effort on the players' parts; the rough humor of the work is shoved to the background. This said, the performance of the
Beethoven quartet itself is up to the
Danish Quartet's usual very high standard; it is an unorthodox but absorbing reading with great control and detail.
Anton Webern's youthful and ultra-Romantic
String Quartet of 1905, not often heard, is another attraction here. The program ends with the unfinished final fugue of
Bach's
The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, breaking off in mid-measure as if to suggest that there is more on the way from this superb group. Admirers of the
Danish String Quartet's series will be satisfied with this release, and indeed, they put it on classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2023. ~ James Manheim
