String Quartet No. 1, Op. 33
String Quartet No. 2, Op. 66
String Quartet No. 3, Op. 79 "Metamorphosen"
In Memoriam Marie Steiner, Op. 176

Upon listening to these String Quartets by Danish-Dutch composer Leopold van der Pals (1884-1966), it's immediately obvious that this composer was not the type to dot the i's and cross the t's, which often results in somewhat lifeless music, but rather wrote in a highly organic and at times impulsive manner. All four instruments, despite seemingly playing autonomous parts, are highly involved in a constantly evolving musical discourse. The composer himself defined this technique as "metamorphosical evolvement", blending free tonality, romanticism and impressionism into a strongly cohesive and engaging whole. Whatever its epithet, it is highly expressive music that pulls the listener in. Taking all this into consideration, it's hard to understand why the String Quartet No. 2, Op. 66, composed in 1925 only saw its world premiere performance, by the Van Der Pals Quartet, almost a hundred years later in 2018.

Leopold van der Pals' life was a rather tumultuous affair. He was born in Russia from a Dutch father and Danish mother, where he started his musical training at the age of 12. At 19, he moved to Switzerland to further his studies. In 1907 he moved to Berlin where he continued his musical education under Reinhold Glière, and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Alexander Scriabin and Arthur Nikisch amongst others. During his stay in Berlin he composed a large body of orchestral works. In 1915, the events of World War I forced him to move back to Switzerland where his focus turned to chamber music. In 1922, his wife became ill and for a period spanning more than 10 years, they lived in various locations in order to be close to sanatoriums that could manage her condition. Despite all of this challenging discontinuity, he managed to write over 250 works, from symphonies to lieder, chamber music, solo instrumental pieces, etc ... He died at the age of 83, leaving behind an unfinished opera.

The Swedish Van Der Pals Quartet, Gordan Trajkovic, Fredrik Burstedt, Markus Falkbring and Tobias van der Pals (the great-grandson of Leopold's younger brother), are dedicated to rekindling interest in the composer's unjustly neglected music, of which barely a handful of recordings exist. They perform these quartets with an inherent understanding and commitment which transcend the notes on the page and bring the music to life. Despite the music's modernist edges, accomplished playing executed to its fullest as it is here, can't help but engage the listener in its distinctive expression. Looking forward to Volume 2.