maxg Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 I was toying with the idea of hanging around on this one till Wolfram piped up but in the end I couldnt wait so here does with a weird one to open up. I will add more to the thread if it takes... Yesterday amongst the 3 or 4 albums I picked up over lunchtime (I am watching my weight as I explained to SWMBO) I found the following: Ravel and Debussy String Quartets The Orford Quartet London Records STS 15440 Printed in Canada and first released in the US FFrr recording 1976 Now aside from the strange lineafe of the vinyl itself (I didnt know London's were pressed in Canada the music itself is interesting. Lets not go into the fact that I also did not know that either composer ever did a quartet. That they prodcued such similarly penned works is also a revalation. 2 violins, a viola and a cello - prodcued within a decade of each other - Debussy first. Both French, both critisized both then and now for the works (relegated to performances of "modern" music apparently). It goes on - both the only quartet either composer ever wrote. Both published by the same house (Durand and Cie). Musically both in the 4 momvement classical style, repeating themes throughout each movement, both have a first movement in the Sonata style.... I can go on here but you get the message. Te funny thing? To listen to they ware chalk and cheese. If it wasnt for the back cover explaining the similarities I would never have detected them - at least through a casual listening session or 2. For me the Debussy works and the Ravel doesn't. This maybe not such a surprise as I tend to find Ravel a little too adventurous sometimes in his layouts (just look at the reaction Bolero causes in some circles - I am a fan but many serious music xritics are anything but). Anyway there you have it - an opening for string quartets with 2 of the least likely cnadidates I have in my collection. I would open this thread up a bit more by adding quintets - but then again I am bored of fish... Take it away guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 One of my favorites is Prokofiev's String Quartets No. 1 and No. 2. I have it as played by the Novak Quartet on a CD, Philips 6500 103. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Thanks a lot, Max, for starting the thread. I admit I am not into chamber music (apart from a little Schubert - 'Death and the Maiden' and his string quintet in C - oh, what a lovely slow movement!!!) so this one will be interesting for me - though I am afraid I won't be able to contribute. Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted November 18, 2004 Author Share Posted November 18, 2004 Maybe it was a bit of a stretch to leap into Quartets like this. It seems that of all the classical music genres people really have the most trouble with these (although they might think Opera or Ballet the more off-putting it is actually the string quartet that meets the most resistance IME). I suppose a lot of it comes down to the belief that a/ Everything that can be done with a quartet has been done - and so composers of the 20th century have avoided them, and b/ how interesting can listening to 4 stringed instruments be? On the former I am not a composer and cannot comment. On the later, some of the most wonderfully relaxing / joyous / invigorating and simply beautiful refrains come from the musical form. In many ways the beauty of strings is often lost in the Orchestra - string concerto's od indeed convery much of the best of the quartet - but without that closeness and personal connection that only a small performance can bring. It was probably silly of me to start with such esoteric offerings. In a more palettable mode therefore I would profer the following few titles as worthy addtions to anyone's catalogue: Beethoven Quartet 16 / Grosse Fuge Broadus Erle Yale Quartet Vanguard VCS 10097 Stereo UK Beethoven Quartet in D+ / Quartet in C- Leonard Sorkin Fine Arts Quartet Concert Disk CS-210 Stereo US Dvorak String Quintet in G Major Philharmonic Ensemble Frankfurt Analogue Audio Association EPH 02 Stereo Germany Schubert String Quartet in C major Christian Poltera Auryn Quartet Tacet L110 Stereo Germany And as I said we could include a quintet, the obvious: Schubert Trout Quintet Louis Kentner Hungarian String Quartet Turnabout TV 34140S Mono US If we still cant take then we can expand further - other small instrumental works perhaps, lesser known concerto pieces (Oboe concerto, basson concerto, horn concerto anyone?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 These came to mind immediatly: Beethoven #14 opus 131 . The finest piece of chamber music I have ever heard. Ravel's Quartet. Usually coupled with the Debussy. I always liked the Ravel more. Bartok #6. I like the other 5 also but this stands out for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 String quartet is my absolute favorite venue. I really enjoy all of them .. Beethoven -through- works just off the press. My wife and I now get season tickets to hear the Lydian String Quartet up the street at Brandeis. The hall is excellent as are the performers and their selections. String Quartets are rough of reproduction systems, however .. part of my endless search for a system than can handle both violins and cellos. SACD, if recorded well, seems to take the requirements more in stride than other formats. DG CDs are very demanding, but consistently excellent once you get them to play right. I have an old Columbia Masterwork record set of Beethoven Middle Quartets by the Julliard Str.Q. that's a bit dated, but so good I have no need to replace it. Some of my favorite composers: Beethoven .. by far, anything and everything Ravel .. a few times through it and you'll be singing it all day Debusy .. Yes, a bit more accessable, but an easy favorite Faure .. Faure Shostokovich .. surprisingly smooth and often very pretty Mendelson .. very accessable with some moments of real perfection Milhaud .. interesting & academic in a good sense. John Arbison .. contemporary, only for those who can tolerate not having a clue what's going on for some time. Frank Bridge .. A little on the introspective side, nice use of timbres. All those mentioned above. If you get into string quartets the variety and quality is huge. Now, I'm just starting on trios. Leo I forgot Anton Webern (did I spell that right?) His work spans romantic and modern (often in a single movement). Good recordings of his work on DG. Recommended. Sort of a "Stairway to Heaven" from romantic to modern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted November 18, 2004 Author Share Posted November 18, 2004 Way to go guys - especially Leok. I now have a shopping list for a variety of String quartets I have never heard. These classical interludes are really working for me.. Whose up with the next genre? Or more of the same on this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 Thanks for these really great lists of new music to try -- not entirely new, but much of it is! Very helpful! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 Some other good ones: Brahms: His three string quartets are dramatic and lively. To disagree with Max, there are some 20th century works that do indeed find new places to go: a) Leos Janacek: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2. Very "different" 20th century pieces. No. 1 is pretty scary. Likewise, Paul Hindemith's String Quartet No. 1 is even more "different." c) I'll have to buy some Shostakovich quartets sometime; they seem promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 For many, string quartets seem to an acquired taste. Most I'd think of have been mentioned above. However, there is also Haydn, who wrote over 60 quartets as the "father" of the genre as well as that of the symphony. Haydn's music is very melodic and elegant; the "Emperor" quartet features variations on a melody that was once the Austrian national anthem. I don't have any specific recommendations; you can go to this web page, scroll down, and click on audio samples (the Emperor isn't among them, unfortunately). Beethoven is regarded as the giant of string quartet composers, as he is of the symphony, the piano sonata, the...well, you get the idea. His 16 quartets can be divided into the same three periods as his works generally: the six early quartets, Op. 18, nos. 1-6; the five middle quartets, Op. 59, nos. 1-3 (the "Razumovsky" quartets), Op. 74 ("Harp") and Op. 95 ("Serioso"); and the five late quartets, Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132, and his last opus, 135. There is also the "Grosse Fuge," Op. 133, a distinctly ferocious alternative last movement to Op. 130. While all are fine works, I think the middle quartets are the most approachable, especially the three Op. 59 works, as well as the Op. 74. Very unfortunately, the CD set that I really like, by the Emerson Quartet, seems to be available only as a $118 7-CD, four-jewel box set (Amazon has used sets for somewhat less $$$). Well, at least you can click on audio clips from the Emerson to see what you like and seek others' opinions, some of which are elsewhere in this thread. Click here. I suggest listening to several of these samples. The old Quartetto Italiano CDs, which are also very good, are still available and do not have to be bought as a single complete set. The late quartets are special, as Stan noted above regarding No. 131. They are more spiritual, esoteric, long (except for the last, Op. 135), and sometimes difficult to understand. Opp. 130 and 135 are the most enjoyable IMO. Emerson has a much more reasonably priced 3-CD set of just the late quartets for only $24. Schubert seems to take a little longer to get into, perhaps because his music so much more a gentle search into the inner soul than Haydn's and Beethoven's. I don't want to overdo the Emerson group -- there are surely many very fine recordings, some mentioned in this thread -- but one handy 3-CD set for $34 includes the remarkable C-major string quintet (2 violins, 1 viola and 2 cellos, written in his last year), the beautiful Trout Quintet (1 each violin, viola, cello, string bass and piano) mentioned above, and the "Death and the Maiden" and "Rosamunde" string quartets. I find the Rosamunde to be very affecting, but can't guarantee it will do that for you. I heartily second Leo's endorsement of the Mendelssohn quartets, and the multiple mentions of the Ravel and Debussy quartets. While I haven't heard it, one of the few current CDs of these at Amazon is by (again) the Emerson. I have a good CD by the Guarneri Quartet which unfortunately seems to be unavailable (except used?). Turning to the 20th century, I agree with Stan on the Bartok 6th Quartet, and would recommend his 5th as well. While I'm not sure of the best recordings, the Julliard quartet has been famous for their Bartok. Then, there are the amazingly deep, personal quartets as a sort of inner, tormented odyssey by Dimitri Shostakovich. At this moment, I would call his No. 3 quartet perhaps the greatest of that century. My set is by the Borodin Quartet, originally on Melodiya and reissued by BMG. While Amazon doesn't list it as currently available, it suggests they may be available used. The Fitzwilliam Quartet is also supposed to be good. Happy listening! Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Since string groups other than quartets have been mentioned, one must include the Mendelssohn Octet, for 8 solo strings (4 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos). This is a very dynamic, driven, yet beautiful work, written when he was only 16! Samples from two good recordings can be listened to: The Melos Ensemble of London may be heard here; and the Chamber Ensemble of the Academy of Saint-Martin-in-the-Field may be heard here. EDIT: The Melos sample of the Mendelssohn is actually a Beethoven; you must go to the Academy page to actually hear samples of the Mendelssohn Octet. The Melos 2-CD album for $19.98 contains the Mendelssohn Octet (for strings alone), and the will-known Beethoven Septet and later Octet, and the very nice Schubert Octet, all for strings and winds. The Academy CD contains the Mendelssohn Octet and string quintet, for $16.98. I suggest you take the time to scroll down on both the above web pages and click on several audio samples to see what you think. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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