Prism III

The third album in Danish String Quartet’s Prism series continues the concept of juxtaposing a late Beethoven string quartet, a Bach fugue, and a 20th-century masterpiece. Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, in seven movements, is one of the composer’s most ambitious and experimental quartets. Danish String Quartet gives a thrilling performance that savors the music’s astounding originality to the full. Bartók's String Quartet No. 1—in A Minor, the start of the Hungarian composer’s magnificent six-work series—makes a perfect companion, and its striking novelty is gloriously embraced. The little Bach fugue that closes this album is, too, a delight.