Pacifica Quartet: The Korngold Collection
Cedille Records

Presenting an entire cycle of a composer's work is nothing new for the multiple Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet; in fact, violinists Simin Ganatra and Austin Hartman, violist Mark Holloway, and cellist Brandon Vamos have made an art of doing so. Formed in 1994, the group has delivered live performances of the complete string quartet cycles of Elliott Carter, Felix Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Shostakovich, and complemented that with recordings such as Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets and the four-volume The Soviet Experience, featuring Shostakovich's fifteen string quartets and ones by his contemporaries. Now, with The Korngold Collection, this outfit turns its attention to Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) with performances of his complete string quartets plus two chamber works that augment the quartet with pianist Orion Weiss on one and violist Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt and cellist Eric Kim the other.

Composed between 1923 and 1945, the three string quartets fascinate for how clearly each separates itself from the others and reflects distinct periods in their creator's life. The second, for instance, was written before his emigration from Austria, while the third draws on themes from his Hollywood film scores. Complementing the string quartet trio are two early chamber pieces, the String Sextet in D major (1914) and Piano Quintet in E major (1920). Called a genius by no less than Gustav Mahler, the Vienna-raised child prodigy enjoyed the most storied of lives, from his early success as the creator of the one-act opera Violanta to the acclaim he received for his film soundtracks.

While it's sequenced last on the two-CD release, it makes sense to begin with the sextet, which received its first performance in 1917 and immediately brought the composer, fresh out of his teens, attention. It's not unusual for a composer's early work to suggest an influence or two, and Korngold's is no exception. Echoes of Brahms sweetly surface during the romantic opening movement, which exudes an enhanced lustre with the guest players added, and strains of folk music emerge too to deepen the music's warmth. Exquisitely executed, the expressive adagio is alternately solemn and celestial and admirably conveys its heartfelt message with patience. The waltz-driven, Viennese-styled intermezzo offers a playful, even mischievous counterpoint to the slow movement, after which a high-spirited finale caps the work with furious flurries and a second helping of exuberant joy. All told, the sextet's a preternaturally mature work for someone just setting out on what would become an illustrious career.

Flush from the positive response his opera Die tote Stadt received following its 1920 premiere, Korngold shifted his focus to chamber music and specifically the Piano Quintet in E major and first string quartet, first publicly performed in 1923 and '24, respectively. Weiss's piano adds considerably to the quintet, starting with the lyrical and harmonically sophisticated movement that initiates it. Whereas the luscious romantic character of the writing speaks to the advances the composer was rapidly making, the central adagio reveals he also wasn't afraid to borrow from himself. Comprising nine free variations on an eight-bar theme drawn from the third song, “Mond, so gehst du wieder auf,” in his Vier Lieder des Abschieds, the movement shows him capable of writing tender material when a work called for it, and the inclusion of haunting string harmonics proves arresting too. Opening sternly with dramatic unison declamations and a violin cadenza, the finale quickly gathers steam for an effervescent ride packed with fluttering phrases and figures.

From there, we turn to the three string quartets, starting with the joyful, life-affirming first. Vibrant and rhythmically vivacious, the work engages the moment its “Allegro molto” movement appears but captivates most during its earnest slow episode. The gesture anticipates the subsequent “Adagio quasi Fantasia,” which engages with a wistful ache. Tonal contrast arrives in the form of a nimble, pizzicato-sprinkled “Intermezzo” and a radiant and regal finale whose enveloping aura is in keeping with the Shakespeare lines from As You Like It that precede it: “When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding / Sweet lovers love the spring.” Composed in 1933, the second quartet manifests a further maturing of approach and sensibility with the harmonic language simpler and streamlined compared to what's come before. A sunny, folk-tinged allegro segues into a devilishly playful intermezzo, elegiac larghetto replete with silvery string harmonics, and a graceful waltz finale that evokes the splendour of a ballroom dance party. Completed in 1945 and premiered for years later, the third quartet would be his last word on the subject. Adding to the work's “cinematic” character, three of its four movements draw on film themes, though the heavily chromatic “Allegro moderato” with which it begins isn't one of them. The harmonically angular scherzo references a theme from the score Korngold wrote between late 1943 and early '44 for Between Two Worlds, the poignant third, marked “Sostenuto. Like a folk tune,” is based on love scene music written for 1941's The Sea Wolf, and the passionate finale uses themes crafted during '42 and'43 for the Brontë sisters biopic Devotion.

February 2026