Hagen Quartet - Maurice Ravel - String Quartet in F - Très lent (3/4)

The third movement of 28 year-old Ravel's Quatuor à Cordes. He is said to have been meticulous in his writing, and, finally, a group of musicians have matched his efforts in terms of attention. This is, in my opinion, the best performance and recording of this piece.

Following assez vif is a leisurely-paced third movement, which replays the theme from the first movement all through-out. Très lent is beautifully mysterious and possibly the least accessible of all of the movements, showing a rather unconventional structure. It is just as passionate as assez vif; but instead of heroic, the passages and melodies are quiet, introverted, and deeply romantic. The 2nd violin solo is an example of this, as its melody and style is carried over by the others before exploding into a climax of rhythm and dynamics. Some might say this movement makes allusions to jazz, but I disagree, feeling it is uniquely Ravel; and in that, it is, furthermore, one his most unique works, by itself and as a contributing factor to the whole of his string quartet.

Hagen Quartet:

First Violin - Lukas Hagen (Austria)
Second Violin - Rainer Schmidt (Germany)
Viola - Veronika Hagen (Austria)
'Cello - Clemens Hagen (Austria)

Concert hall - Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria. (2000.)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the copyrights. I am uploading these in the spirit of sharing artistry and education. I urge you to visit the following links and consider purchasing:

The avi file, http://www.medici.tv/#/movie/2832/
And/or the DVD, http://www.hbdirect.com/album_detail.php?pid=3003258