Taneyev: String Quartet No. 4 in A minor, Op. 11

The Carpe Diem String Quartet’s first volume of Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev’s string quartets (Nos. 1 & 3 – 8570437) gained critical accolades both for the revival of this important repertoire and for the ensemble’s sensitive and assured interpretations. A gift to musicians and listeners in search of rewarding new repertoire, Taneyev’s Second and Fourth String Quartets are masterfully crafted, the former piece possessing the inner energy of Beethoven, the latter being his most dramatic quartet. Both quartets impress with their unexpected harmonic combinations, wealth of ideas and mastery of form.