Lekeu’s String Quartet in G Major is one of only two works which he completed in its entirety. It dates from 1888 and is in six movements. This in itself has led several scholars to suggest that he was influenced by Beethoven’s Op.130 String Quartet which served as his model. Beethoven may have served as a structural model but there is nothing in the music which sounds even vaguely like him. French impressionism plays an influence. The opening Allegretto quasi allegro is genial and followed by a big Adagio sostenuto, calm and reflective. Then a very brief sparkling Capriccio in which the cello plays a long solo over the tinkling accompaniment in the other voices, reminiscent of what Verdi does with the cello in the third movement of his quartet. It is quite striking. Next up a Romance and once again, the cello is given the lead., another short movement, a playful Poco allegro e molto scherzoso is closer to an intermezzo than a scherzo. The last movement, Allegro assai once again begins with the cello and proceeds in quasi fugal style.
Guillaume Lekeu (1870-94) was born in the village of Heusy in Belgium and began his musical studies at a conservatory nearby. In 1888, his family moved to Paris and he entered the Paris Conservatory where first he studied with César Franck and after Franck's death, with Vincent d'Indy. Tragically, Lekeu died of typhoid fever just after his 24th birthday. The usually critical Debussy regarded Lekeu to be as talented as Franck and d'Indy regarded him a genius. In addition to his Violin Sonata, he completed a string quartet, a piano trio and a partially finished piano quartet.
The Quartet has been recorded a number of times because there is a clean copy of the parts made from the manuscript by a copyist at the library of Vervier Conservatory in Belgium. But the Quartet has never received a published edition. We obtained a copy of the parts made by the copyist and senior editors Tomasz Golinski and Raymond Silvertrust have worked diligently in producing this the World Premiere Edition. This is a first class work which deserves to be heard in concert but will also interest amateur players interested in works from the French Impressionist era.
