I. Moderato - Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante moderato
III. Allegro non troppo
IV. Allegro con brio


Martinu wrote his first numbered string quartet in 1918. It was premiered on the 10th October 1927, in Prague, after much earlier premieres in Paris had to be cancelled. It wasn't published until 1973! He'd actually written an earlier quartet (also in E-flat minor, H.103) when he was just 8 years old but that was lost for years until it was eventually reconstructed.
In this 4-movement work there's a lot of influences at play. Martinu acknowledges the French influences (hence the title), jazz-inflected harmonies and the textures of Debussy and Ravel immediately spring to mind in places but it's mostly filled with Czech and, especially, Dvorakian music, Because of its return to the opening music there's a cyclic feel to the piece which also brings to mind Franck. It's in E flat minor, but it meander through a variety of keys. It's a lengthy work, coming in around the 40 minute mark.
The 1st movement begins gently, peacefully and interestingly with a fugue. Folk-like violin melodies abound until rhythms emerge. Martinu writes in a pause to throw the listener a curveball before violin melodies reappear and the cello mutes. The initial theme gets repeated just before a quiet ending. With its enjoyable main theme, this is my favourite movement.
In the 2nd movement harks back a little to the opening theme of the 1st movement. Martinu uses another pause too. The initial section starts andante before the music picks up rhythmically and becomes more driven. The second section is more dance-like. The movement concludes calmly. .
The melodic 3rd movement, Allegro, begins in more Dvorakian, sprightly fashion and removed from earlier material. The themes are jazz-inflected and there's some interesting slides.The trio is light but with a hint of melancholy.
The lengthy finale takes us into a minor key and also covers content from that first movement so we come full circle. It's upbeat but interspersed with small, slower sections. Although there's lots of nice melodies and interesting ideas here it does oustay it's welcome a bit.
There's a lot of rhythmic variation in this rather upbeat quartet and Martinu's Czech folk influences come through strongly but it coukdnt do with some editing kat close on 40 minutes it's rather overlong) even if it's a fairly pleasant effort.
I'll say straight away that there's little between this group of recordings and it's just slight preferences at play here so I'm sure you'll find the perfect recording for you. On Naxos, the Martinu Quartet are suitably robust and confident. Along with the a Stamic Quartet they take a little longer to reach a conclusion but they're certainly not slow. I just prefer other ensembles' intensity. The recorded sound is very good. The same could be said of the fine Panocha Quartet's recording on Supraphon. The Czechs are probably the briskest here but I'd have liked a wee bit more fire from the Panocha. Regardless of this they are gorgeous in ensemble and persuasive in execution, making a good case for this slightly subtler reading.
The Stamic Quartet are probably the broadest exponents of the work but you never get the feeling that they're laboured and their depth and emotional weight is impressive from the start. Whilst they could have played at a slightly quicker pace there's great intelligence in the way they structure the work and this is a strong recommendation.
Somewhere, timewise, between all these recordings the Zemlinsky Quartet have just the right emotional turmoil and force to really sell the work. In their capable hands the outer movements are handled brilliantly, with strong phrasing and excellent textures. Currently this is my go-to recording but the competition is so strong that you could really choose any of these fine recordings and you'll be well-satisfied. It's just the Zemlinsky Quartet seem to tick all my boxes more than the others. You may feel differently