Credits:

Isasi Quartet

Description:

The Isashi String Quartet presents the complete string quartets of Henri Martel, a violinist born in France who later became a naturalized citizen of Sweden. The String Quartet No. 3, included in this third volume, was composed in 1916 and is the most frequently performed of all his works. It contains elements that could be described as autobiographical, reflecting his harrowing experiences during World War I, including being suspected of espionage by both Germany and France. The first movement begins with a leisurely tempo and familiar harmonies, but a melody featuring frequent, jarring trills suddenly appears, disrupting the tranquility. The second movement, which begins with a heart-rending melody, is abruptly cut short by a fierce, chromatic passage, giving way to a torrent of intense, unstable sounds that instill a sense of dread in the listener. The third movement, in the style of a Vien