The PHQ playing the second movement of Janacek’s second string quartet “Intimate Letters”, a couple days ago on Dutch television.
The PHQ playing the second movement of Janacek’s second string quartet “Intimate Letters”, a couple days ago on Dutch television.
I heard the Pavel Haas quartet perform Beethoven’s String Quartet no. 15 (Op. 132) in 2007. One of the most, if not the most, exquisite musical experiences I have known.
Ten years ago, the BBC issued a CD of the PHQ playing three Beethoven quartets. Even so early in their career, as “new generation artists” these are terrific performances. But nowadays their Beethoven is in a place few can reach. I have heard some just stunning live Beethoven from PHQ: in particular a deep and wonderfully shaped Op 95 a few years ago, and earlier this year an intensely moving performance of the third Rasumovsky, equaling anything on disc. Let’s hope that the day comes when they feel able to record Beethoven again.
That would be wonderful, but there is something special about their live performance, at least the one I experienced. I’ve heard other quartets perform well but one was left wondering what they felt about the music. Not so with the PHQ, with whom the music is incarnate.