However, the cleanliness of that major third trill was way more difficult to get because the left hand fingers had to be pressed down on the string more than usual. Normally, a trill in classical repertoire consists of a minor second or a major second interval, which would be easier for me to achieve without affecting what I was doing with my bow. There were a lot of them! The difficulty lies in obtaining a clean sound while trilling at the same time.
As a result, we tested the waters plenty of times with that one specific link and other similar ones in different pieces until the composer was thoroughly satisfied.Īnother technique prescribed by Pierre that gave me problems was the fast legato trill encompassing a major third at the very outset of Quartet no. On the other hand, given the specific nature of that section, we could not settle for anything other than strict rhythmical accuracy. Then the viola enters on a low D, following the same rhythmical contour displayed three bars earlier by the cello, but the displacement of accents between the two voices, combined with the soft prescribed dynamic, the sustained three-note chord in the violins and the absence of melodic profile was making the correct rendition of that passage extremely difficult. The cello starts pianissimo with 36 sixteenth (semiquaver) notes on the same low F-sharp, but with accents on different beats. 4 which tested our inner pulse more than anything else. Read more Featured Stories like this in The Strad Playing Hubįor instance, there is a fugato section in Movement 4: Spiral II of Quartet No. Read: Extended and splendid: 4 techniques for bowed strings to get the creative cogs turning Read: How I write for strings: Composer Dani Howard Needless to say that this recording session turned out to be more challenging than anticipated given the mechanical and relentless rhythm contained in most of the fast movements. 4 to verify my words), we felt compelled to be as accurate as possible. All of a sudden, every little discrepancy from the score, which did not bother us too much in the concert hall, became magnified in the studio.īecause Jalbert’s music seems to musically depict geometrical figures at times (one can look at the titles of String Quartet no. It is one thing to play a Jalbert String Quartet in concert, which does not lay too many difficulties if compared to Berg’s Lyric Suite or Bartók’s Fifth String Quartet, but an entirely different one to record it for posterity. However, none of my previous sessions had prepared me adequately for the one at the Okataven with Pierre Jalbert himself in the booth, listening to every take. 4, 5 and 6 of Pierre Jalbert, alongside his flute quintet Air in Motion with Carol Wincenc, thinking that the recording process ought to be easy given how well we could all play the pieces together in rehearsal. Therefore, I was looking forward to this particular recording session of string quartets no.
Generally, I always felt that recording a piece was less stressful than performing it live because, in the studio, you get more than one chance to lay down a difficult passage. Since our inception in 2005, the Escher Quartet has had the immense privilege of working with several studio engineers that have produced great recordings for us. Discover more Featured Stories like this in The Strad Playing Hub
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