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Listened today to their performance of Schubert's last quartet (#15 in G-) & found the usual gorgeous playing but the interpretation a bit slow & sometimes mannered, drawing attention more to the players than to the music. Reminded me a bit of the conducting of Giulini as he aged (though he shared only the "slower"). Just my mood today? Whaddyall think?
Jeremy
Follow Ups:
Has anyone purchased the big box set on Decca ("Quartetto Italiano - Complete Philips & Decca Recordings," 37 CDs)? For the price it looks tempting. The product description doesn't make it clear if the recordings have been remastered or just repackaged. For the price it looks very tempting. Any feedback?
The box set doesn't appear to have been remastered unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for my pocketbook).
Still, if I didn't have over two thirds of it already, I would jump on it, being a fan of QI. And I've been trying to find the disc of Webern string quartet music for a while.
Less than $2 a disc? Really? I don't want to remember what I paid for what I bought. 4x that at least I suspect.
My favorite quartet ensemble, but they can be slow (check out the 2nd mvt. of their Beethoven opus 135). I also like the Prazak/Praga recording Chris mentioned. Anybody heard the Alban Berg recording of this work? If so, how do you like it?
Hi, Steve:
Yes, I have the Berg as well, and I like it much better -- more consistent pacing and phrasing, less attention drawn to performers. In fact, of the many QI performances I 've heard, I like their Schubert G+ (thanks, Chris) the least, so much so that I hadn't listened to it for a long while and had forgotten how annoying (to me) it is. I was surprised all over again (a sign of incipient Alzheimer's?)!
Jeremy
I have the Berg recording of #15 and while I remember liking it, I haven't listened to it in a while and don't recall specific characteristics, other than it possessing their usual precision.
Listening to the recent Tetzlaff Quartet recording. Very impressive so far
Looks like death masks with a little highlighting here and there.
. . . but I never felt they were particularly mannered. I haven't heard those recordings in a long time though.
That G-major Quartet is a great, great work though! I love to play through the piano transcription of the slow movement sometimes! Those "out of tune" interjections (I think you know the spots I mean) are incredibly dramatic! I haven't heard that many recordings of it, but the ones I have (which I do like) are a couple of Czech ones, the Panocha Quartet (on CD) and the Prazak Quartet (on SACD).
Yes, G+ (blush), and yes, a truly great work. What piano transcription do you have, and is there a particularly good one? Is yours for 2 hands or 4 (I occasionally have a friend or relative who can assist)?
Jeremy
Check out the IMSLP link below - if you don't know this site, prepare to be amazed! (You have to click the "Arrangements and Transcriptions tab.)
The one I have is the solo piano transcription done in 2017 by Jean-Marc Bouillet (really nice typesetting!), but there's an old Peters 4-hand transcription by Hugo Ulrich also available.
Many thinks, Chris! As we like to say in Zhoshkov, next year in Lafayette!
Jeremy
I agree. This and their Schubert #12 are not up to their usual standards (for just the reasons you state).
Their Schubert #13 and #14, however do not have these problems and are among my favorites.
Interestingly, the Melos Quartet on HM have the opposite problem: their Nos. 12 & 15 are excellent, while their Nos. 13 & 14 are unlistenable (to me anyway).
I think we hear similarly.
I haven't thought about the Melos for a long time -- my father, decades ago, used to own a box set of, I think, all Schubert's quartets played by the Melos. I don't have it now, and I'd love to be able to check out the earlier ones.
Jeremy
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