Your favorite string quartets

My favourites are definitely the Beethoven Late String Quartets; op131 I consider to be his greatest work - regarding Vuk's comments, I can only conclude he has never heard them - absolutely bizarre - sorry but Shostakovich doesn't even come close. Of the recommendations to the above, I'd add the Busch Quartet, but the peformances are old, so recording quality is not great.

After that the late Schubert quartets and the quintet.

...and after that the Bartoks, 3 and 4 being my favourites.

I also have to admit to never having heard any Mozart quartets that have really gripped me.

David

quote:

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The greatest quartet of all, without any question, is the Shostakovich 8th.

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Balderdash. Vuk, there is so much wrong with this assertion that I really cannot fully repute it. Shostakovich's 8th is nowhere near his greatest work, let alone the greatest of the last century. The "autobiographical" content and searing intensity actually wears somewhat thin compared to the far superior 9th. Compared to the last three quartets, this is merely ol' Dimitri warming up. Give me a break.

I find it absolutely ludicrous that one would make such a statement. How can the 8th be better than say, Bartok's 4th or 6th (I would choose one of those two if pushed to pick a "best" of the 20th century, but then only angrily), or Schoenberg's 3rd. Hell, both of Ligeti's quartets surpass the 8th as far as I'm concerned.

I'd like to say that I love these threads. I listened to Shostakovich 7 three or four times today, during work, and that's something I had not done for a long while. Usually I do 13 and 14 - and I've reacquainted myself with these works, too, yesterday, thanks to this discussion.

[Todd, no offense, I have to say the Emerson sounds frightfully dull, compared to the Melodiya Borodin.]

We were going to list our favorite quartets. However, I notice folks are posting more peripheral works, like the Mendelsohn Octet. In that case I'd like to mention Mendelsohn wrote some nice string quartets and string quintets. Especially the Op 13 quartet is good fun. I have it on vinyl by the old Juilliard. The string Quintets have recently been recorded on Sony by cellist Anner Bylsma and his equally brilliant violinist wife Vera Beths and several other players - they're called the Archibudelli for some reason.

Herman

herm,

ha ha ha... will try not to...

enjoy

ken

This week I got the complete recording of the Haydn String Quartets by the Angeles String Quartet, recorded in 1994 -1999 in a Belvedere, California church. 21 discs in a Philips box.

I'm not a fan of these huge collections: often it means you shelve the box and "wait till there's time."

I'm not so sure when I'll have time to listen to the first seven discs with pre Opus 20 quartets, but I did listen to a variety of mature quartet and I have to say: not bad. it's certainly a class better than the complete Naxos set by the Kodaly.

A downside of these huge complete recordings is the risk that the players are merely making their way through the oeuvre, while a single Haydn disc means the players chose pieces they've really committed to. With the Kodaly you heard routine performances. The Angeles has authentic spark.

Not every single piece is ideal. The beautiful crowning piece at the end of the Opus 76 is maybe a little too spare for these players; but the other 76 works are excellent. I had to get used to modern, American vibrato; young European quartets would be a tad more aware of period practice; but the Angeles players do not linger and drool over the slow movements, and the finales are sharp and witty.

The sound was praised in a lot of reviews. I would not quite agree. The church reverb does hamper the finales sometimes: deep fast cello figures sometimes blur a bit.

Does the Angeles beat the period ensemble Mozaiques? Well, in many cases it does. The Mosaiques work with a weird concept. On the one hand they pay period instruments and wouldn't even know vibrato if it sat on their faces. On the other hand the recorded sound is so overwhelming, and their pacing can be so ponderous that it's like you're listening to big-time Mahler. And Haydn should dry and snappy; aristocratic and never wallowing.

So, yes, I'd recommend the Angeles Quartet. How many chances are there to get all these great, entertaining and touching works?

Actually, in the best works you want to have both, the Angeles and the Mosaiques. And maybe you want to have something like the Tatrai (Hungaroton, too), who are blessedly unponderous.

The Angeles box comes at the price for say, six fullprice discs.

Herman

Haydn's biggest presents to the violists (I am sure there are much more...):

The short (2 bar) solo in the slow movement of op.76/5. The movement is in F-sharp-major, and after breathtaking modulations the viola states the main theme in G-major, over pulsating eighth notes - sounds like Bruckner!

The sixtuples (is that the English term?) accompanying the beautiful violin melody in the slow movement of op.20/2 in C-major. Yes, the accompaniment can be more fun than the tune! Once you have realized this, you can have all the fun without the hassle of excessive practicing... (Except for the cases where the accompaniment is actually harder to play than the first voice! )

You are right about the Kodaly recordings, they are boring and not much else (except cheap, of course). I do like the Mosaiques, though.

Mozart's best quartets are of course the quintets with 2 violas! The slow movement of the KV515 one is essentially a duet between first violin and first viola, which reminds one of the best moments in the Sinfonia Concertante. All the sad people who dismiss Mozart as "pretty with no depth" should listen to KV516 in g-minor!

Mendelssohn is in my opinion one of the most underrated composers. I especially like op.12, op.13 (it is Beethoven's op.132 taken apart and reassembled differently, but equally resourceful), and op.80 (written after the death of his sister Fanny). I admire his capability to create something "groovy" out of the simplest rhythmic motif, and his effortless counterpoint.

Dvorak was a violist himself, and made us many "presents". Again, in his "American" quartet, I find the viola accompaniment in the slow movement more rewarding than the solo at the beginning of the first. The viola solo in the Dumka of the op.81 piano quintet is wonderful!

The "show off" string quartet solo for violists is of course the beginning of Smetana's first. I'm not sure it is intended to sound show-offy, though.

Brahms has so many great viola passages, they are too numerous to mention. (2nd movement of the B-flat-major string sextet?)

The viola solo in the Adagio of Anton Bruckner's string quintet is something!

E. Dohnanyi (the grandfather of the conductor) wrote great chamber music, with great viola passages. (2nd piano quintet, 2nd quartet, string trio.)

From the 20th century repertoire I played Shostakovich and Schulhoff (great stuff!). It is tough for an amateur to find people who are willing to invest the time needed to fight one's way through a Bartok or Shostakovich quartet... I have yet to convince my friends of the Weigl I mentioned in my earlier posting, will keep trying!

Have fun exploring!

I just read a good review of the Emerson Quartet playing Haydn. Very high praise.

Just curious since I don't remember seeing the Emerson mentioned here.

Hmmm maybe I missed it...

That was a marvellous contribution, which started so many pieces of music playing in my head like a music box.

Haydn 76/5, the "graveyard adagio." I used to think how come I leave the room and then then the music's best part comes and I have to run back in. Then I realized some music consists of nothing but best parts. Haydn 76 / 5, the socalled graveyard adagio, is a case in point.
Yes, your viola moment is wonderful; but next moment is another climax, when the 'cello slides through his sequence, accompanied by violin quaver sighs. It used to be my favorite in the Op 76 six.

Brahms: my favorite viola moments: there's the amazing solo in the third String Quartet scherzo (best on record perhaps by the Tokyo: one hell of a violist, one hell of an instrument) and, completely different: the little seven-note sequence solo in the finale of the third piano quartet we talked about before.

I think it's pretty amazing you play Shostakovich. I know sometimes music sounds hard but in reality it's quite doable, bu Shos can't be in this category.

Have you ever tried the Ravel quartet? There's the successor to the Brahms 3 viola solo, wouldn't you think so. Thanks again for your comments, and stay in touch, please.

Oh, and JWS, I know the Emerson have commenced a Haydn series. I just haven't herd any of it yet.

Herman

Ross

As for my fav's...

Shostakovich #13 + #15 (Borodin for generally all, Emerson does better in a few though)
(I saw the Emerson SQrt a week ago at the St. Lawrence Centre [Music Toronto].) They were incredible. Programme: Beethoven #15, Shos. #13, #14.

Bartok #4, 5, 6. (Hagen)

Beethoven: Have not fully listened to the complete cycle. Just picked up the complete qrts w/ Alban Berg Qrt on EMI. I don't like the sound the ADD recording produces, however. Might have to re-evaluate with the Amadeus.

The Bartok are my all time favourites though.
I play violin and own a number of miniature scores of his qrts.

glad you joined (and it looks like there's going to be an international Niam String Quartet on the Web soon; anyone playing 'cello out there?).

That sounds like quite an exhausting concert by the Emerson Beethoven 15, Shos 13, 14. I guess they had to mop the stage afterwards...

In case you can afford another Beethoven set you should try the cheap Italiano box. The Alban B I have in the Early Box, some Middle (all ADD) and a later digital set of Late Quartets, and I have to say the latter are very good, maybe too good.

Herman

Ross

"...as rewarding as those by Bartok or Shostakovich." Rough Guide to Classical Music

Does any one have an opinion as to whether they are that good or can tell me what they sound like?

Thanks

Steve

Ross

Welcome aboard. I'd take the Italiano, and start from the middle (save the Op. 18 for a little later).

Let us know whether and how you like it. (It did take you a while to post this, didn't it?)

Herman

About 10 years ago, these quartets won an award in the now defunct Classic CD. I borrowed them from the local library, and remember thinking them very good - spiced with a bit of dissonance, but not as rigourously structured or as advanced in the range of techniques as Bartok. A few years ago, I threw a lot of old tapes away, so don't have any source to go back and check. Worth seeking out though. If you do, please report back.

David