String Quartet Cycles

[Hoppy T. Frog]

BTW don't really agree about Emersons. Their style works well in a larger performance space. Yes a bit steely I suppose, maybe not that Russian either in Prokofiev or Shostakovich. Well they are the Emerson quartet, not the Kropotkin Quartet.

Every Emerson Quartet recording I've heard sounded technically perfect but cold, hard and utterly impersonal to me. They made me run in the opposite direction.

I prefer them in the flesh to some more diffident quartets I have heard. But I don't often go to hear quartets.

I've edited my post to explain what I meant.

I saw the Emersons in the Baird Auditorium in DC (actually a small venue) and their Bartok 6th made the piece make sense to me for the first time--I understood it "structurally".

[Chuck Nessa]

and "emotionally/viscerally"?

[Hoppy T. Frog]

and "emotionally/viscerally"?

yeah, but Bartok already does that to me anyway.

[Quincy]

PS Has anyone heard the recordings of Shostakovich by the Mandelring Quartet, which are due out now in a box set on SACD. Individual disks already issued?

I have the first 3 and am impressed by the performance, music and sound quality, but this is only release I've heard so I know no other. SACD.net may be more helpful.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Quincy

[Mark Stryker]

Here's a fine performance of Ben Johnston's Fourth Quartet discussed earlier in this thread -- microtonal variations on "Amazing Grace." Prepared to have your mind blown. The group is the Denali Quartet, whom I was not previously aware of. FYI, Johnston is now on Twitter @NewDissonance.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Mark Stryker

[Д.Д.]

Here's a fine performance of Ben Johnston's Fourth Quartet discussed earlier in this thread -- microtonal variations on "Amazing Grace." Prepared to have your mind blown. The group is the Denali Quartet, whom I was not previously aware of. FYI, Johnston is now on Twitter @NewDissonance.

http://vimeo.com/17298063

[soulpope]

Janacek No. 1+2 performed by the Janacek Quartet (at that time Jiří Trávníček/Adolf Sýkora/Jiří Kratochvíl/Karel Krafka) and recorded in the mid 60`s. To my knowledge currently only available as japanese Import.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/artist_Janacek-Leos-1854-1928_000000000020866/item_String-Quartets-Nos-1-2-Janacek-Quartet_3929674