March / April 2014

The String Quartets of Wilhelm Kienzl

Wilhelm Kienzl (1857-1941) today, if he is known at all, is known for his once famous opera Evangelimann, which on very rare occasions has received an outing in Germany. Though music for voice was his main interest, Kienzl did not ignore the realm of chamber music and his three string  quartets are of good quality and deserve to be heard in concert and will also interest amateurs. Kienzl, who was born in the small Austrian town of Waizenkirchen studied music at Prague University and later in Leipzig with Liszt.

His first quartet, String Quartet No.1 in b flat minor, Op.22, dates from the time when he had just completed his studies. (1880) It is full of youthful exuberance, turmoil and tumult. Kienzl wrote, that at the time, the music of Schumann and especially Schubert was most on his mind. The opening movement, Largo-Allegro moderato, begins with a brief, but highly-charged slow introduction. There is the sense of impending tragedy. And, in fact, the lovely main theme to the Allegro has a sad, pleading quality to it. Next comes a graceful, old-fashioned minuet and trio. The melancholy slow movement, Adagio ma non troppo, which follows clearly has the aura of Schubert about it. In the striking finale, Allegro energico e molto vivace, Kienzl replaces the dark mood of the Adagio with one of hope. This boisterous music that is full of optimism and youthful excitement. The writing provides a good example of the brilliance Kienzl could achieve.

String Quartet No.2 in c minor, Op.99 was written forty years later, the inspiration being the death of his wife in 1919 and the disastrous end of WWI for his beloved Austria, stripped of its imperial grandeur and charm. In its place was a drab, down at the heels Republic, the sad torso, whose splendid appendages had been brutally amputated. This is a powerful and very substantial work. It is also autobiographical program music in the tradition of Smetana’s From My Life. Kienzl inscribed the top of the quartet with words expressing the pain he felt over his losses. The short but slow introduction of the big opening Adagio-Allegro energico immediately makes it clear that something like a death has occurred. Tension then builds as an angry Allegro is called forth. Though the tempo is quick, there is a strange lugubrious feel to it. One hears cries of anguish, moments of hope, followed by moments of despair. The coda is particularly melodramatic. The lovely second movement, Adagio, though not shot through with the pain of the first movement, nonetheless, has a sad and mournful quality. It brings to mind images of days past and things of beauty which have perished. An effective Scherzo follows this. It is certainly not joyful music, but neither is it sad. It has a mild, playful quality, but one with a cutting edge somewhere in the background. Above the finale, Moderato, Allegro commodo e leggiero, Kienzl inscribed words of tribute to Vienna, the City of Mirth and Brilliance. Here, the music is at its gayest, full of Viennese color and dance rhythms. This is a fine work certainly belongs in the repertoire.

String Quartet No.3 in E Flat Major, Op.113 was composed in 1928. Of the three, it is the most concise. Though not an overtly happy work, it has none of the anguish of No.2. The opening movement, Allegro con fuoco, reminds one, tonally speaking, of Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss. It is optimistic, yet with a sense of destiny. An emotionally low-keyed but very romantic Andante in the form of a lied follows. Next comes a quasi lyrical Scherzo. The short finale, Vivacissimo, is full of high spirits. Its rollicking horse ride rhythm, full of bustle, is a direct descendant of the finale from the First Quartet. It is another late, richly romantic work of very high quality.

All three of these quartets are deserving of concert performance. It is a pity they are never heard in concert today. The part-writing and handling of the instruments shows a talented composer and none of the quartets the ability of experienced amateur players.  You can hear soundbites from both trios on our website. The parts to each are available from Edition Silvertrust.