Schumann:
- String Quartets, Op. 41 Nos. 1-3.
Performed by the Quatuor Hermès.
The four members of the Quatuor Hermès have chosen the three string quartets by Robert Schumann as a vehicle to become better known as a string quartet.
I like to listen to young performers. One of the key challenges for me is to remain objective and fair. I can state whether I like a performance or not, and hopefully to provide supporting reasons. The important thing is to avoid comparing a young group with fairly little experience, to performers who have entertained us for 30 years.
The interpretation of this music by the Hermes Quartet is quite impressive. While musicologists generally agree that the Third Schumann Quartet is a masterpiece, the other two are also quite pleasing, as well.
These young musicians plunge into the complex mysteries of the Third Quartet, emphasizing right from the start of the Andante espressivo the surprises of this music where silences and abrupt changes of mood point to the composer’s originality and his creative power.
The overall impression from this first encounter between Schumann and the Hermès Quartet is one of total sincerity. Is that not the very essence of what is required to interpret this composer’s great music?
The Hermes Quartet members are:
- Violinists Omer Bouchez and Elise Liu
- Violist Yung-Hsin Chang
- Cellist Anthony Kondo
Here is the music of Quatuor Hermès with some introductory music, which will give you a sense of their abilities:
And next, here is the Hermès Quartet performing the Debussy quartet:
And here is another young group, the Quatuor Ebène performing Robert Schumann’s String quartet No. 3 in A-minor Op. 41/3:
Tags: Hermès Quartet, Robert Schumann, Quartet #3 in A-Minor