String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 16 (1923)
String Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 26 (1933)
String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34 (1945)

Austro-American composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) has often been dismissed as inconsequential as a "classical music" composer simply because, after moving to the United States in 1934, he earned a living writing Hollywood film scores. Between 1935 and 1955 he composed highly evocative music for memorable movies such as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Wolf, The Sea Hawk, Of Human Bondage, etc ... music of symphonic scope which earned him two Academy Awards. And speaking of symphonic scope he wrote an exceptional Symphony in F sharp and an impressive Violin Concerto, which I've always considered to be one of the best within 20th century concertante works.

But as I've often mentioned, it's rather easy for composers to conceal compositional imperfections and/or imaginative shortcomings within large theatrical orchestral scores, and not so easy within a string quartet where each and every note plays a key structural and harmonic role in the final outcome. Korngold's propensity for cinematic flair animates the faster outer movements of these quartets with broad strokes and forward momentum, impelled by the vigorous exchange between the four voices. But its within the slow movements, and in particular the Adagio quasi Fantasia of the Op. 16, where Korngold demonstrates his grasp and masterful control of motivic as well as melodic development. He certainly deserves less flack for his flick music, and more recognition for his serious art music.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Tippett Quartet and they're still active as ever. Another impressive release this year alone is the new world premiere recording of the string quartets by British composer Steve Elcock, hot on the heels of a recording of the Vaughan Williams string quartets issued in September 2022. They engage with each other into a unified whole in a symbiotic fashion, whilst each individual player interjects their own expressive input, which allows for vibrant performances.