Arthur Lourié (1892-1966) – String Quartet No.1 (1915 – prem 1922)
Très lent, 2. Grave
Performers: Utrecht String Quartet
Alexander Mosolov (1900-1973) – String Quartet no.1, in a minor, opus 24 (1926)
Andante non troppo, 2. Adagio, 3. Scherzo, 4. Finale
Performers: Novosibirsk Philharmonic Quartet
Before the 1917 revolution, both Roslavets and Lourié had already written quartets, which clearly shows that they were well aware of the new tonal language that Arnold Schoenberg and his followers had developed in Vienna around 1910. A fine example is Lourié’s 1915 First String Quartet.
After the Revolution in 1917, the feeling remained that one was on the eve of a whole new world. In doing so, did composers need to address the new man in search of new sounds or the working masses and ordinary citizens, who, above all wanted to be heard, i.e. to listen to their music?
For example, Mosolov’s First Quartet, in a (opus 24) from 1926, although modern dissonance, is at times also reminiscent of his most famous work, the Iron Foundry for Orchestra, composed almost simultaneously and a tribute to factory workers.
