Presented by Leo Samama.
Jan Brandts Buys (1868-1933) – Sicilian Serenade, Op. 28 (1908)
1. Allegro appassionato, 2. Lento, ma non troppo, 3. Presto, 4. Commodo, ma burlesco, 5. Grazioso
Performers: Raphael Quartet
CD: BFO
Willem Pijper (1894-1947) – String Quartet No.1 (1914)
1. Allegro moderato, 2. Scherzo, 3. Largo, 4. Poco agitato
Performers: Schoenberg Quartet
CD: Olympia
Willem Pijper (1894-1947) – String Quartet No. 2 (1920)
1. Molto moderato, 2. Adagio
Performers: Schoenberg Quartet
CD: Olympia
Jan van Gilse (1881-1944) – String Quartet (1922) unfinished
3. Scherzo
Performers: Ebony Quartet
Jan Brandts Buys’ Sicilian Serenade from 1908 is closely related to the string quartet music of Brahms and Grieg. Brandts Buys studied in Frankfurt and Vienna and quickly developed into a composer of very successful light operas in the German lands. Willem Pijper’s First String Quartet was written in 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the war. Pijper’s Second String Quartet dates from 1920. Debussy, Stravinsky, and Milhaud set the tone, and brevity is the watchword.
The clash in the early 1920s in Utrecht between the French-oriented Willem Pijper, who was a critic, and the more Germany-oriented conductor Jan van Gilse affected the latter so much that he hardly composed anything anymore, apart from some songs and two movements for string quartet—this week one, next week the other.
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