It is a courageous coupling, indeed, that joins together Schoenberg's late Fourth String Quartet from 1936 and with his early Verklärte Nacht String Sextet from 1899. While the earlier work is, relatively speaking, loved because of its lush chromatic harmonies, its rich sensual textures, and its overwhelmingly sexual passion, the later work is ignored by everyone except music theorists because of its austere dodecaphonic harmonies, its severe contrapuntal textures, and its unrelentingly nervous intensity. The Czech Prazák Quartet, then, is to be congratulated for joining these two works together and praised for performing both so convincingly. With a sweet, strong tone; agile, alert ensemble; and cogent, coruscating interpretations, the Prazák Quartet plus second violist Vladimir Bukac and second cellist Petr Prause turn in performances that seem as fitting, and as flattering, for the Fourth Quartet as for Verklärte Nacht. While they may not be able to make the later work as instantly attractive as the earlier -- what but miracle could? -- the Prazák's disc will satisfy listeners looking for first-rate performances of Schoenberg's chamber music. Praga's super audio digital sound is very clean and very atmospheric, but oddly very thin.
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