Presents
Dmytro Klebanov
String Quartet No.4
First Time Available in the West
We are pleased to present the fourth string quartet by the Ukrainian master composer Dmytro Klebanov (1907-1987 Dmitri is the Russian form of the Ukrainian name Dmytro). He was born in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv (then known as Kharkov and part of the Russian empire). He studied piano, viola and composition at the Kharkiv Music and Drama Institute. After briefly playing viola in the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, he returned to Kharkiv where he pursued a career as a composer, conductor and teacher, eventually becoming a professor at the Kharkiv Conservatory in 1960. His first symphony, composed in 1945 and titled "In Memoriam to the Martyrs of Babi Yar" was attacked by Stalinist music critics who found it anti-patriotic. He was accused of distortion of the historic truth about the Soviet people and of national narrow-mindedness. Shortly thereafter, Stalin made his famous attack on Soviet artists with the result that Soviet Composers were forced to compose politically correct works of "socialist realism."
Klebanov's String Quartet No.4 was an example and product of the Stalinist constraints placed on composers during this time. Composers were instructed to base their musical materials almost exclusively on folk music. In this respect, Klebanov succeeds admirably by putting together a highly accessible work which, apart from a few echoes of French impressionism harks back to the era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Slavic music. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, begins with a repetitive phrase presented in canonic form. The main part of the movement, Allegro, at first shows the influence of Paul Dukas. This theme dominates affairs but does alternate with an older melodic style which was characteristic of late and post Romanticism. The cello begins the second movement, Larghetto, before the others join in. It is a sad dirge bordering on the funereal. Third comes a lively, somewhat frenetic Scherzo in which the first section is entirely played pizzicato. Later, a Ukrainian folk dance melody is introduced, followed by other Ukrainian folk tunes which create a constant sense of forward movement. The finale, Allegro, is joyous, boisterous and full of upbeat Ukrainian folk melodies.
This is a master quartet. We warmly recommend and encourage professional groups to offer this highly original and convincing work which can also be warmly recommended to experienced amateur players. We wish to thank Stefan Hlouschko who made a copy of the score available to us.
Parts: $29.95
Parts & Score $39.95
