your favourite 5 chamber music al***s/recordings

Dear Sloop John B,

There is s lovely Decca CD twofor with the Trout Quintet [Curzon, VPO members], The Violon Fantasy [Szymon Goldberg, Radu Lupu], The Arpegine Sonata {Rostrpovitch, Britten] and something else I cannot remember I think, which contains three absolutely top pieces in really prime performances.

The Quartets, opus 77 from Joseph Haydn (with the two short fragments opus post) played by the Mosaiques Quartet on Auvidis. The most lovely entree to the Quartet literature in the most sensitive readings.

Mendelsohnn's Oktette. Decca. Memebers of the VPO. Splendid music, and lovely performance.

Beethoven's Septet. Deeca. Members of the VPO, which is now coupled with the Mendelsohnn above I think.

Ravel's Introduction and Allegro. Strings and Harp etc. Melos Ensemble on Decca.

None of this music is inpenetrable at first aquaintance - in fact it is both great and charming - and all these recomemdations are for really fine readings.

Enjoy!

Fredrik

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
... The Quartets, opus 77 from Joseph Haydn (with the two short fragments opus post) played by the Mosaiques Quartet on Auvidis. The most lovely entree to the Quartet literature in the most sensitive readings...

Fredrik

Hi Fredrik

I bought this some while ago on the strength of your recommendation; it's absolutely lovely. Do you have a suggestion for further Haydn quartets?

Cheers, Milo

Dear Sloop

How about the most beautiful work for violin ever, Cesar Frank's Violin Sonata.

Also, I've always had a fondness for Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor Op (34?). Had a recording with Rudolf Serkin and Budapest which I hated for a long time, then it became one of my favorites. This is not the one Schoenberg orchestrated, but a slightly later work.

The Ravel/Debussy string Quartets are a good pairing.

Also let me put in a word for some lesser known works, the String Quartets of Anton Webern. There is a great one disc complete, with The Lesalle on Philips.

Cheers (happy hunting ect..)

Big Brother

PS ..just realized I barged in after a question to Fredrik, too late to delete, apologies.

SJB,

Here are three you cannot go wrong with:

*Schumann String Quartets 1 & 3 / Zehetmair Quartet / ECM
* Messiaen / Quartet of end of time / DG or Harmonia Mundi
* Any string quintet by Luigi Boccherini.

Regards,

Haim

Dear Milo,

I would say from my experience of them that the whole Haydn Quartet series is wonderful, and so I would perhaps steer you towards the Opus 33 set (Six of them on two CDs), and the Opus 76 set (Another Six on 2 CDs).

But what I would caution against is getting the whole 70 odd quartets in one go! Get a few, and get aquainted with them! Then move on to some more. I have about sixty of them mostly from the Tatrai Quartet on the Hungaraton label, who give them splendidly natural virile readings, though not the only very fine recordings for all that. The Mosaiques Quartet are gradually recording more and more, though I don't know if the plan is a full cycle, and another set that is delightful is the attempted cycle (curtailed by WW2 and less than half complete) by the Pro Arte Quartet from Belgium, who recorded for HMV in London, and are rightly still avaiable on Testement. The great thing about this 7 CD issue (in two boxes available separately) is that the quartets are jumbled up so you get early, late, and middle ones side by side, which is preferable to six all together from one set, at least as a listening experience! Strangley all the later and greater works are represented, fortunately!

Good hunting from Fredrik

I find it hard to navigate classical purchases but I've chosen the six below.



Haydn: String Quartets Op 77, etc /Mosaï
Mendelssohn: Octet, etc / Cleveland Quar
Classics - Beethoven: String Quartet Op
Webern: Complete Works for String Quaret
Schumann: String Quartet no 1 & 3 / Zehe
Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps /



Thanks for your help. I'll post after Christmas as to how Ms Sloop (and I) liked them.

















SJB

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Dear Milo,

I would say from my experience of them that the whole Haydn Quartet series is wonderful, and so I would perhaps steer you towards the Opus 33 set (Six of them on two CDs), and the Opus 76 set (Another Six on 2 CDs).

That's great. Thanks Fredrik

Fretwork's version of The Art of Fugue is a favourite.

1. Beethoven Archduke Trio -Florestan Trio
2. Schumann Piano Quintet-Argerich and Friends
3. Mendelssohn Octet-ASMF (with Raff Octet)
4. Mozart String Quintets K.515,516-unsure which performance to recommend
5. Schubert Piano Trios -Florestan Trio

These are just a few of the great chamber pieces written by some great composers, and are pieces that are readily accessible to anyone. Notice Webern and Messian are not on my list.....hehehe, Oldnsldow

Anything by the Palladian Ensemble on the Linn Records label. 'Held by the Ears' is nothing short of divine...

Best regards,
Ron