The Pacifica Quartet, a lauded and multi-award winning ensemble, presents Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s complete string quartets as its latest album release. It’s always a treat to have access to the complete set of a composer’s works, and this album is no exception.
Beautifully and introspectively performed, The Korngold Collection consists of three string quartets, a piano quintet, and a string sextet.
An Austrian Jewish musical prodigy, Erich Korngold wrote beautifully deep and melodic compositions. He fled Europe in the mid-1930s, later becoming a US citizen, and his music was a heavy influence in 1930s and 40s Hollywood. This is particularly impressive, considering that he was a new arrival to the United States at that time. He is most known for his film scores for Captain Blood in 1935 and The Adventures of Robinhood in 1938.
As with any retrospective, Korngold’s compositional evolution is evident as the listener travels between the first, second, and third string quartets–the third being the most “modern” and nearly verging on atonal at moments.
The piano quintet, for which pianist Orion Weiss joined the Pacifica, is gorgeous. The group’s sound melds perfectly together, and the composition itself is one of great depth.
Wrapping up with the sextet (here the Pacifica is joined by Eric Kim and Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt), the ensemble remains in top form. Surprisingly, the sextet is the youngest work on the album. It was written in 1914, while all the other works included in The Korngold Collection were written between 1920 and 1945.
The Korngold Collection is worthy of a top spot in your to-listen list. There’s so much to dig into and enjoy here. Truly a triumph for The Pacifica Quartet.