String Quartet No.2 in A major - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

Performed by The Guarneri Quartet. Arnold Steinhardt (first violin), John Dalley (second violin), Michael Tree (viola) and David Soyer (cello).

I - Allegro con brio: 0:00
II - Tema con variazioni. Andante - Lento - Coda: tempo primo: 8:56
III - Menuetto/Scherzo - Trio - Tempo I: 15:28
IV - Andante ma non troppo - Allegro: 18:54

Arriaga's String Quartets were composed in 1823, when the composer was only sixteen years old. They can be considered the most outstanding works of its production. The Quartets would be the only work that the author would see published during his life, which is why his follow-up is particularly relevant.

The Arriaga quartets have been defined as brilliant and idiomatic. We can get an idea of ​​the general evaluation of the quartets through the biographical reference about the author in the Biographie Universelle des Musiciens of his professor Fétis: "It is impossible to imagine something more original, more elegant, more purely written than these quartets, They are not sufficiently known, and every time they were executed by their young author, they aroused the admiration of the listeners."

The certain thing is that Arriaga composed the quartets at an age of sixteen, to which none of the great composers had composed any similar form, not even indisputable geniuses such as Beethoven. In fact, the work has often been related to authors of this stature. In statements by Rosen "it is possible to listen to passages in the Work of Arriaga similar to Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini, although he sometimes fails to reach the complexity of the more mature works of these authors."

The style of the quartets can be placed between Late Classicism and early Romanticism, being able to compare it equally with Mozart's late work as well as the proto Romanticism of the young Beethoven. Arriaga's second quartet is perhaps the most modest and traditional of the three, probably being written first before the D minor quartet. The work has a strong resemblance to Beethoven's Op.18 quartets, with their Classical attention to form and stylishness just barely beginning to feel some friction from a more Romantic impulsiveness.

The first movement is written in sonata form. It opens with a theatrical dialogue between violin and cello against a fast, throbbing pulse, presenting a brilliant and lively main theme. The second theme is elegant and more melodic, but without great contrast. The brief development follows the tradition of the French "Quatuor concertant", dwarfed by the surrounding exposition and recapitulation. Then the recapitulation repeats both themes, ending with a decided coda.

The second slow movement is cast as a theme and five ingenious variations. It opens with a simple main theme, even childish. The first variation is essentially melodic, starring the first violin. The second one is more rhythmic, in which the protagonism is fixed in the dialogues between the second violin and the cello. The third one is slower and much more romantic, dark and contrasting. The fourth one is much more agile and, again, perhaps childish, elaborated from pizzicati. The fifth one is much more present and contrapuntal. The movement closes a coda consisting of an elaboration of the main theme that recalls each of all the variations.

The third movement is labelled as a menuetto, but offers scherzo as an alternate designation. As in Beethoven's quartet scherzos, this is light, witty, and not particularly danceable. It begins lightly, remembering the Viennese language of authors like Mozart, contrasted by a pastoral trio in which the voices of all the instruments are interwoven to end up returning to the menuetto, ending with a gentle coda.

The final movement begins with an introduction, with a skipping, teasing little figure. Very soon this gives way to the main Allegro theme, happily ardent with a quick pulse. Almost before it has been fully introduced, the Allegro theme suffers an extended interruption from the introduction. The Allegro melody eventually returns, but veers off into material resembling the introductory theme. The movement seems to be heading in the direction of a rondo, but a theme-jumbling passage suggests the development section of a sonata movement. The movement proceeds to a spirited ending.

Sources: https://bit.ly/2LWCnYN and https://bit.ly/2JOx8b3

To check the score: https://bit.ly/3wEgdBd

Видео String Quartet No.2 in A major - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga канала Sergio Cánovas