Karoly Goldmark (1830-1915) String Quartet B flat Op 8 (1860) String Quintet A minor Op 9 Fourth Dimension String Quartet with David Smith, cello Released by ASV 1999 - CD (DDD) Karoly Goldmark (1830-1915) is one of those composers with only a few works (the Rustic Wedding and the Violin Concerto) that are at all familiar. These fairly early examples of his chamber music - from 1860 and 1862, respectively - expand the picture. They're full of colourful ideas and harmonies, and most expertly written for strings (Goldmark was himself a violinist). But though every movement is full of interest, I find something unsatisfactory about much of the writing. I couldn't help thinking how both Schubert or Bruckner were able to use equally adventurous modulatory styles without Goldmark's tendency towards diffuseness. This music also lacks the large-scale planning and control of harmonic tension that can make the 19th-century tonal world such an exciting place. But there's a lot to enjoy; the