帕菲爾.哈斯弦樂四重奏 / 史麥塔納：第一、二號弦樂四重奏 (LP) Pavel Haas Quartet / Smetana: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 (LP)

2015留聲機最佳室內樂獎

 帕菲爾．哈斯弦樂四重奏成立逾2002年，以20世紀前半的捷克作曲家帕菲爾．哈斯(1899-1944)之名作為團名。從2004年開始，該團就陸續拿下多項指標性大獎，像是布拉格之春國際音樂大賽第一名、BBC音樂雜誌室內樂首選、MIDEM古典大獎以及三座留聲機大獎，2007年該團拿下BBC音樂大獎最佳年度新人，帕菲爾．哈斯四重奏一次又一次以無比精湛的演奏實力證明他們絕對是當今最令人興奮也是最讓人期待的弦樂四重奏。2015年的新專輯帶來史麥塔納的兩首弦樂四重奏，可想而知肯定又是一張叫好叫座的精彩專輯。
 
第一號弦樂四重奏寫於1876年，正好是史麥塔納深受失聰所苦後不久，副標題名為「我的生涯」。如同字面意義，這可以說是半自傳式的作品。當中許多牽涉作曲家個人情感的部分要深入探索著實相當考驗演奏者，但就算光就技巧部分來看也沒輕鬆到哪去，兩首四重奏在聲調轉折上都有許多聽來不太平順的區塊，畢竟史麥塔納對鋼琴遠比弦樂熟悉，自然在樂曲織體上與其說是寫給弦樂，倒不如說比較接近鋼琴的寫法。第二號四重奏是史麥塔納人生末期的作品之一，約莫過世前一年左右完成，他說「這首作品真的很棒，不僅有旋律豐富的元素，而且有豐富的情感和新意」，不過這首四重奏卻直到他過世才得以出版。
 
問：為什麼你們會想選史麥塔納的四重奏呢？市面上已經有很多團體的錄音，不會讓你們覺得無趣嗎？
答：主要原因當然還是因為音樂優美好聽，至於誰錄過我們反倒沒有那麼在意。我們製作的每張專輯都象徵一個頂點，一個過程的圓滿收尾。所有專輯我們都是如此看待。我們會先探索練習每首作品，接著排入音樂會演出一段時間讓作品逐漸熟成飽滿，直到我們能游刃有餘的處理這些音
樂，接著才會錄音。這次史麥塔納的四重奏也是如此，我們之前已經演過這套曲目好些年。
 
問：每個捷克的四重奏難免都會演奏史麥塔納的作品，你們是否有加入什麼新的觀點？
答：我們的目的並非著重在提出什麼新的東西，藉由當下從樂曲所感受到的東西讓我們得以更靠近作品，我們是這麼希望。錄音會反映出此時的我們對作品的瞭解與掌握。如果20年後我們再度錄這套曲目，聲音一定是截然不同，當然，無論是我們或時光同樣也是另一番面貌了。所以我們試圖讓自己沈浸在音樂中享受，我們辦到了，而且感覺很棒。

Pavel Haas Quartet / Smetana – String Quartets
Bedrich Smetana – String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, "From My Life" (1876), String Quartet No. 2 in D minor (1882-83)

Pavel Haas Quartet: Veronika Jaruskova – 1st violin, Marek Zwiebel – 2nd violin, Pavel Nikl – viola, Peter Jarusek – cello

"The recording captures the quartet as if they were in your living room ... This is the kind of disc that makes record reviewing the best job in the world." Gramophone Awards. "These performances set a new standard and reveal so much of what makes these quartets unique." BBC Music Magazine. "This is extraordinarily bold playing – and they truly capture the sense that Smetana is writing symphonic quartet music." Gramophone
"In their native repertoire they are well nigh incomparable." The Sunday Times

When the most prominent critics across the board concur in the opinion that an album is extraordinary, it certainly deserves to be released on vinyl. Although Smetana's chamber pieces are few in number, each of them – personal, many a time harbouring a bold autobiographical statement – constitutes one of the cornerstones of Czech chamber music.  Smetana wrote his two quartets in the twilight of his life, when he was afflicted by deafness. String Quartet No. 1, "From My Life", is a programme work: "My aim was to depict in tones the course of my life ... the piece is of an intimate nature; therefore I deliberately wrote it for 4 instruments, which should converse as though within a close circle of friends..." Owing to its being composed in an unconventional manner, String Quartet No. 2 comes across as a 20th-century work. The Pavel Haas Quartet's award-winning album has been released by Supraphon for vinyl fans and lovers of perfect sound on a top-quality LP (180g virgin vinyl, DMM cutting), supplemented by a Hi-Res digital version.

Smetana's intimate and timeless music, as performed by the Pavel Haas Quartet – for the first time on vinyl