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Favorite Shostakovich String Quartet cycle
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steve
Jun 6, 2020, 8:11:16 PM6/6/20
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Recently In a moment of weakness I bought the Pacifica Quartet’s Shostakovich cycle. I already had the Borodin’s & the Fitzwilliam so I didn’t need another set. I have heard the Emerson’s which I didn’t much care for - too polished for my taste. The Pacifica has rapidly become my favorite. I especially like the idea of adding 4 other quartets ( Miaskovsky #13, Prokofiev #2, Wienberg #6 & Schnittke#3) from the same time period. Not that I’m up for adding a 4th set but I am wondering what other people think about the merits of other complete sets.
Steve
Steve
John Hood
Jun 6, 2020, 8:43:57 PM6/6/20
to
On 7/06/2020 8:11 am, steve wrote:
> Recently In a moment of weakness I bought the Pacifica Quartet’s Shostakovich cycle. I already had the Borodin’s & the Fitzwilliam so I didn’t need another set. I have heard the Emerson’s which I didn’t much care for - too polished for my taste. The Pacifica has rapidly become my favorite. I especially like the idea of adding 4 other quartets ( Miaskovsky #13, Prokofiev #2, Wienberg #6 & Schnittke#3) from the same time period. Not that I’m up for adding a 4th set but I am wondering what other people think about the merits of other complete sets.
>
> Steve
>
I always go back to the Brodsky's Teldec set and the Fitzwilliam.
> Recently In a moment of weakness I bought the Pacifica Quartet’s Shostakovich cycle. I already had the Borodin’s & the Fitzwilliam so I didn’t need another set. I have heard the Emerson’s which I didn’t much care for - too polished for my taste. The Pacifica has rapidly become my favorite. I especially like the idea of adding 4 other quartets ( Miaskovsky #13, Prokofiev #2, Wienberg #6 & Schnittke#3) from the same time period. Not that I’m up for adding a 4th set but I am wondering what other people think about the merits of other complete sets.
>
> Steve
>
Agree about the Emerson, I don't like them doing anything. To me, it
sounds like it is all about their virtuosity at the expense of the music.
JH
Al Eisner
Jun 6, 2020, 9:21:22 PM6/6/20
to
mainly about the music and its sound. It's just their style - which is,
as Steve says, rather polished. I'd say that is how they want the
music to sound. I've heard members work with other ensembles,
without any hint of virtuosity. That said, they are usually not my
choice (although I've heard some things I like a lot), and I do]
not care much for their Shostakovich.
As for Shostakovich sets, I'm highly satisfied with the two I have:
the second Borodin (people here keep insisting on the first, which
has 1-13 only) and the Pacifica. Still, happy to hear of more,
especially if they cast a different light on the works.
--
Al Eisner
cooper...@gmail.com
Jun 7, 2020, 3:42:56 PM6/7/20
to
On Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 9:21:22 PM UTC-4, Al Eisner wrote:
> As for Shostakovich sets, I'm highly satisfied with the two I have:
> the second Borodin (people here keep insisting on the first, which
> has 1-13 only) and the Pacifica. Still, happy to hear of more,
> especially if they cast a different light on the works.
> --
> Al Eisner
I think the Pacifica set is superb (my first recommendation) and I also like the first two Borodin sets: the Dubinsky-led 1-13 has a thicker, more fulsome sound; the Kopelman-led 1-15 is leaner but equally powerful. (Their respective Tchaikovsky sets are similarly comparable, imo.) I haven't heard the more recent Borodin cycle on Decca.
> As for Shostakovich sets, I'm highly satisfied with the two I have:
> the second Borodin (people here keep insisting on the first, which
> has 1-13 only) and the Pacifica. Still, happy to hear of more,
> especially if they cast a different light on the works.
> --
> Al Eisner
If I were going to explore further I'd go back to two great Soviet-era cycles, those of the Beethoven Quartet and the Taneyev Quartet respectively. The problem may be availability, unfortunately. I have the Beethoven SQ set on Venezia and the Taneyev SQ set on Aulos. I also think highly of the Shostakovich Quartet cycle, available on Alto for a reasonable price.
Among currently active groups, aside from the Pacifica I like the Jerusalem Quartet recordings very much. I just wish they'd get on their horses and complete the cycle.
AC
Message has been deleted
Al Eisner
Jun 7, 2020, 6:54:12 PM6/7/20
to
On Sun, 7 Jun 2020, cooper...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 9:21:22 PM UTC-4, Al Eisner wrote:
>
>> As for Shostakovich sets, I'm highly satisfied with the two I have:
>> the second Borodin (people here keep insisting on the first, which
>> has 1-13 only) and the Pacifica. Still, happy to hear of more,
>> especially if they cast a different light on the works.
>> --
>> Al Eisner
>
> I think the Pacifica set is superb (my first recommendation) and I also like the first two Borodin sets: the Dubinsky-led 1-13 has a thicker, more fulsome sound; the Kopelman-led 1-15 is leaner but equally powerful. (Their respective Tchaikovsky sets are similarly comparable, imo.) I haven't heard the more recent Borodin cycle on Decca.
I heard the Borodin in concert several years ago, playing two of these
> On Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 9:21:22 PM UTC-4, Al Eisner wrote:
>
>> As for Shostakovich sets, I'm highly satisfied with the two I have:
>> the second Borodin (people here keep insisting on the first, which
>> has 1-13 only) and the Pacifica. Still, happy to hear of more,
>> especially if they cast a different light on the works.
>> --
>> Al Eisner
>
> I think the Pacifica set is superb (my first recommendation) and I also like the first two Borodin sets: the Dubinsky-led 1-13 has a thicker, more fulsome sound; the Kopelman-led 1-15 is leaner but equally powerful. (Their respective Tchaikovsky sets are similarly comparable, imo.) I haven't heard the more recent Borodin cycle on Decca.
quartets and one other work (I think Beethoven). They were surprisingly
lackluster, as if they were just trying to get it over with, Maybe
they were just tired. But very disappointing.
THe Pacifica has changed two of its members in the past couple of years.
I hope they have maintained their overall quality. (I heard them once
in concert since then, no obvious problems, but in repertory I found
hard to judge.)
> If I were going to explore further I'd go back to two great Soviet-era cycles, those of the Beethoven Quartet and the Taneyev Quartet respectively. The problem may be availability, unfortunately. I have the Beethoven SQ set on Venezia and the Taneyev SQ set on Aulos. I also think highly of the Shostakovich Quartet cycle, available on Alto for a reasonable price.
>
> Among currently active groups, aside from the Pacifica I like the Jerusalem Quartet recordings very much. I just wish they'd get on their horses and complete the cycle.
>
> AC
Al Eisner
Néstor Castiglione
Jun 7, 2020, 6:55:06 PM6/7/20
to
I'll chime in another recommendation for the Shostakovich Quartet. Their mellowness is a little different from what one typically hears today, but they highlight the music's debt to the Russian Romantics of the pre-Soviet era. For me, nobody betters the Shostakovich Quartet in their sweetly nostalgic performances of the Sixth and Fourteenth Quartets. Their recording of the Fifteenth has a more consolatory quality than usual; a representation of death as friend, rather than foe to be feared. In general, theirs is an almost Schubertian Shostakovich.
The Beethoven Quartet is a must-hear. They premiered all but Quartets 1 and 15 (founding member Sergei Shirinsky died in mid-rehearsal of the latter) and collaborated with the composer closely. Their sound is wiry, narrow, heightening the nervous tension in Shostakovich's quartets, but with occasional surprising portamenti that imparts a sense of vulnerability unlike anything else in the discography. (Try their earlier recording of Quartet 3, last available on a Symposium CD.) To my ears, no other quartet better renders the humanity of this music than the Beethovens. The joy, sarcasm, and bitter anger of this music all come through, sitting cheek-by-jowl, with a directness and comprehensiveness that no other quartet matches.
On the other hand, the Borodins' take on the composer is unrelievedly grim, granitic, imposing. As much as I like their earlier sets, their Decca set, I thought, was excellent, perhaps their best. It has an airiness, a willingness to let the music breathe that at least for me is convincving. (Of course, their earlier performance of the Piano Quintet with Richter is a milestone of the catalog that demands to be heard. There was also a live UK performance on Intaglio that, perhaps, may top the better-known Melodiya recording.)
Intimacy and humanity mark the Fitzwilliam's cycle. Warm, rich, full-bodied performances that contextualize the music as successors to Beethoven. The birdsong inadvertently captured in some of their recordings (try the coda of Quartet 3) is one of the great fortunate circumstances of recorded music. Especially revelatory are their performances of the late quartets. (Shostakovich coached them in Quartet 13.) Rather than being the documents of desperation one usually hears, the Fitzwilliams find a sense of hope, however slim, in this crepuscular music.
Of modern cycles, my favorite is the Mandelring on Audite. Full-bodied, deep, oaken in tone; theirs is Shostakovich as successor to Brahms. The Audite production is gorgeous. A lot of people like to hear Shostakovich as angry hysteric, but I also enjoy very much hearing him as part of the Western musical tradition. (Which is why I love East German recordings of his music.) Shostakovich was not only a rousing, angry denouncer of his own time and place, but also an artist who was deeply indebted to Austro-German traditions, and who was proud of his place within it.
Also, yes, the Pacifica are wonderful; especially for the historical context provided by their imaginative pairings.
The Beethoven Quartet is a must-hear. They premiered all but Quartets 1 and 15 (founding member Sergei Shirinsky died in mid-rehearsal of the latter) and collaborated with the composer closely. Their sound is wiry, narrow, heightening the nervous tension in Shostakovich's quartets, but with occasional surprising portamenti that imparts a sense of vulnerability unlike anything else in the discography. (Try their earlier recording of Quartet 3, last available on a Symposium CD.) To my ears, no other quartet better renders the humanity of this music than the Beethovens. The joy, sarcasm, and bitter anger of this music all come through, sitting cheek-by-jowl, with a directness and comprehensiveness that no other quartet matches.
On the other hand, the Borodins' take on the composer is unrelievedly grim, granitic, imposing. As much as I like their earlier sets, their Decca set, I thought, was excellent, perhaps their best. It has an airiness, a willingness to let the music breathe that at least for me is convincving. (Of course, their earlier performance of the Piano Quintet with Richter is a milestone of the catalog that demands to be heard. There was also a live UK performance on Intaglio that, perhaps, may top the better-known Melodiya recording.)
Intimacy and humanity mark the Fitzwilliam's cycle. Warm, rich, full-bodied performances that contextualize the music as successors to Beethoven. The birdsong inadvertently captured in some of their recordings (try the coda of Quartet 3) is one of the great fortunate circumstances of recorded music. Especially revelatory are their performances of the late quartets. (Shostakovich coached them in Quartet 13.) Rather than being the documents of desperation one usually hears, the Fitzwilliams find a sense of hope, however slim, in this crepuscular music.
Of modern cycles, my favorite is the Mandelring on Audite. Full-bodied, deep, oaken in tone; theirs is Shostakovich as successor to Brahms. The Audite production is gorgeous. A lot of people like to hear Shostakovich as angry hysteric, but I also enjoy very much hearing him as part of the Western musical tradition. (Which is why I love East German recordings of his music.) Shostakovich was not only a rousing, angry denouncer of his own time and place, but also an artist who was deeply indebted to Austro-German traditions, and who was proud of his place within it.
Also, yes, the Pacifica are wonderful; especially for the historical context provided by their imaginative pairings.
Dan Fowler
Jun 9, 2020, 1:34:44 PM6/9/20
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and has enjoyed your assessments of some of my favorite performances. If
forced to choose just one set, it would likely be the second Borodin set.
But I would really miss that first set and the Pacifica set, both of which
I enjoy very much.
The Fitzwilliam set remains a sentimental favorite. Their rendition of the
third quartet introduced me to this music. And I am just learning the
newest Borodin set, which has already left a favorable impression.
One set I enjoy hasn’t been mentioned, the Quatuor Danel set. They have a
lighter tone than some I’ve mentioned but are nevertheless compelling.
Thanks for the Mandelring suggestion. I will seek them out.
Dan
cooper...@gmail.com
Jun 9, 2020, 3:41:57 PM6/9/20
to
On Sunday, June 7, 2020 at 6:55:06 PM UTC-4, Néstor Castiglione wrote:
<snip>
> On the other hand, the Borodins' take on the composer is unrelievedly grim, granitic, imposing. As much as I like their earlier sets, their Decca set, I thought, was excellent, perhaps their best. It has an airiness, a willingness to let the music breathe that at least for me is convincing. (Of course, their earlier performance of the Piano Quintet with Richter is a milestone of the catalog that demands to be heard. There was also a live UK performance on Intaglio that, perhaps, may top the better-known Melodiya recording.)
OK, I guess I have to get hold of the Decca set. It's worth mentioning that the "Borodin Quartet" that recorded it is related in name only to the ensembles that recorded the first two cycles, which had the violist and cellist in common. For me, the Richter/[Kopelman] Borodin recording of the Piano Quintet is fine, but hardly a milestone. I'd reserve that term for the composer's recording with the Beethoven Quartet. There are many great recordings of this masterpiece going back to the earliest ones, including V. Rivkin/Stuyvesant and V. Aller/Hollywood. Also Leonskaja's with the same Borodin SQ as Richter at the end of Kopelman's tenure. I'd hate to have to choose among them, but if forced to recommend just one, I'd go with Eva Bernáthová/Jánaček Quartet. It was briefly available on a limited-edition Japanese CD c/w their recording of the Franck Piano Quintet (also otherwise unavailable on CD afaik). I don't have a copy of the CD, unfortunately. Bernáthová is seriously under-appreciated. She died a little more than a year ago at the age of 96 (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/26/eva-bernathova-obituary).
AC
<snip>
> On the other hand, the Borodins' take on the composer is unrelievedly grim, granitic, imposing. As much as I like their earlier sets, their Decca set, I thought, was excellent, perhaps their best. It has an airiness, a willingness to let the music breathe that at least for me is convincing. (Of course, their earlier performance of the Piano Quintet with Richter is a milestone of the catalog that demands to be heard. There was also a live UK performance on Intaglio that, perhaps, may top the better-known Melodiya recording.)
OK, I guess I have to get hold of the Decca set. It's worth mentioning that the "Borodin Quartet" that recorded it is related in name only to the ensembles that recorded the first two cycles, which had the violist and cellist in common. For me, the Richter/[Kopelman] Borodin recording of the Piano Quintet is fine, but hardly a milestone. I'd reserve that term for the composer's recording with the Beethoven Quartet. There are many great recordings of this masterpiece going back to the earliest ones, including V. Rivkin/Stuyvesant and V. Aller/Hollywood. Also Leonskaja's with the same Borodin SQ as Richter at the end of Kopelman's tenure. I'd hate to have to choose among them, but if forced to recommend just one, I'd go with Eva Bernáthová/Jánaček Quartet. It was briefly available on a limited-edition Japanese CD c/w their recording of the Franck Piano Quintet (also otherwise unavailable on CD afaik). I don't have a copy of the CD, unfortunately. Bernáthová is seriously under-appreciated. She died a little more than a year ago at the age of 96 (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/26/eva-bernathova-obituary).
AC
John Hood
Jun 9, 2020, 8:13:29 PM6/9/20
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There are currently roughly 1,000 sets of complete cycles on Amazon US,
although there are probably some duplicates in those. I would be
prepared to give them all a go, revelling in the differences. I don't
recall hearing an unsatisfactory performance, except the Emersons, but
I've already been there :)
JH
although there are probably some duplicates in those. I would be
prepared to give them all a go, revelling in the differences. I don't
recall hearing an unsatisfactory performance, except the Emersons, but
I've already been there :)
JH
Not a Dentist
Jun 9, 2020, 11:42:09 PM6/9/20
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John Hood
Jun 10, 2020, 12:46:27 AM6/10/20
to
FWIW Beethoven lists 2,000. I can definitely recommend the Acme and Ajax
quartets.
JH
Gerard
Jun 10, 2020, 4:30:30 AM6/10/20
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Op woensdag 10 juni 2020 02:13:29 UTC+2 schreef John Hood:
One of those "1.000" is the Rubio Quartet on Brilliant Classics (recorded by Brilliant Classics).
According to the booklets Shostakovich is their speciality.
What are the opinions about this set?
reviews at
https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11666/
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/May03/Shostakovich_StringQuartets_complete.htm
According to the booklets Shostakovich is their speciality.
What are the opinions about this set?
reviews at
https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11666/
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/May03/Shostakovich_StringQuartets_complete.htm
Raymond Hall
Jun 10, 2020, 7:56:36 PM6/10/20
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As for Shosty, I'll stick to his symphonies and concertos for now.
Ray Hall, Taree
do...@excite.com
Jun 10, 2020, 11:35:03 PM6/10/20
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On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 12:41:54 -0700 (PDT), cooper...@gmail.com wrote:
The Jerusalem Quartet is VERY high on my list and the entire cycle is
available as videos online:
https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/watch-and-listen/video/2013-shostakovich-string-quartet-cycle/shostakovich-quartet-no-1-in-c-major-for-strings-op-49/
The other quartets are acessible below the video.
DonR
The Jerusalem Quartet is VERY high on my list and the entire cycle is
available as videos online:
https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/watch-and-listen/video/2013-shostakovich-string-quartet-cycle/shostakovich-quartet-no-1-in-c-major-for-strings-op-49/
The other quartets are acessible below the video.
DonR
sfr...@nycap.rr.com
Jun 12, 2020, 5:04:43 PM6/12/20
to
On Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 8:11:16 PM UTC-4, steve wrote:
> Recently In a moment of weakness I bought the Pacifica Quartet’s Shostakovich cycle. I already had the Borodin’s & the Fitzwilliam so I didn’t need another set. I have heard the Emerson’s which I didn’t much care for - too polished for my taste. The Pacifica has rapidly become my favorite. I especially like the idea of adding 4 other quartets ( Miaskovsky #13, Prokofiev #2, Wienberg #6 & Schnittke#3) from the same time period. Not that I’m up for adding a 4th set but I am wondering what other people think about the merits of other complete sets.
>
> Steve
For those interested, the Rubio set is on sale for about $12 now.
> Recently In a moment of weakness I bought the Pacifica Quartet’s Shostakovich cycle. I already had the Borodin’s & the Fitzwilliam so I didn’t need another set. I have heard the Emerson’s which I didn’t much care for - too polished for my taste. The Pacifica has rapidly become my favorite. I especially like the idea of adding 4 other quartets ( Miaskovsky #13, Prokofiev #2, Wienberg #6 & Schnittke#3) from the same time period. Not that I’m up for adding a 4th set but I am wondering what other people think about the merits of other complete sets.
>
> Steve
https://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=2293051
And here is Classics Today's take on it:
https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11666/?search=1
MIFrost
Al Eisner
Jun 12, 2020, 5:24:58 PM6/12/20
to
On Wed, 10 Jun 2020, Raymond Hall wrote:
> I have this set, but don't really know enough about Shosty's string quartets to make any useful judgement. I don't find this musical format particularly attractive in the case of 20th century music. I say this even though I have just ordered the first Tokyo recording of the Bartok string quartets, very cheaply now on Eloquence. I read that people say Bartok's quartets are the next coming, and I need to find out. Hell or high water.
>
> As for Shosty, I'll stick to his symphonies and concertos for now.
>
> Ray Hall, Taree
Even though the Bartók are more complex, to me they were all indisputably
> I have this set, but don't really know enough about Shosty's string quartets to make any useful judgement. I don't find this musical format particularly attractive in the case of 20th century music. I say this even though I have just ordered the first Tokyo recording of the Bartok string quartets, very cheaply now on Eloquence. I read that people say Bartok's quartets are the next coming, and I need to find out. Hell or high water.
>
> As for Shosty, I'll stick to his symphonies and concertos for now.
>
> Ray Hall, Taree
great music pretty much from the get-go. Of course they may well still
not be for everyone. I found the Shostakovich quartets harder to get
into. but I've become very fond of most of them. One suggestion if
you want to sample the Shostakovich, don't start with #1, which is the
weak sister of the bunch. Try #3 (in an early style more akin to tne
symphonies) and #5.
--
Al Eisner
Raymond Hall
Jun 12, 2020, 9:21:06 PM6/12/20
to
On Saturday, 13 June 2020 07:24:58 UTC+10, Al Eisner wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2020, Raymond Hall wrote:
>
> > I have this set, but don't really know enough about Shosty's string quartets to make any useful judgement. I don't find this musical format particularly attractive in the case of 20th century music. I say this even though I have just ordered the first Tokyo recording of the Bartok string quartets, very cheaply now on Eloquence. I read that people say Bartok's quartets are the next coming, and I need to find out. Hell or high water.
> >
> > As for Shosty, I'll stick to his symphonies and concertos for now.
> >
> > Ray Hall, Taree
>
> Even though the Bartók are more complex, to me they were all indisputably
> great music pretty much from the get-go. Of course they may well still
> not be for everyone.
That is also what I intuit, and now I have to try to like and/or understand them. I now have the Keller and the first Tokyo.
> On Wed, 10 Jun 2020, Raymond Hall wrote:
>
> > I have this set, but don't really know enough about Shosty's string quartets to make any useful judgement. I don't find this musical format particularly attractive in the case of 20th century music. I say this even though I have just ordered the first Tokyo recording of the Bartok string quartets, very cheaply now on Eloquence. I read that people say Bartok's quartets are the next coming, and I need to find out. Hell or high water.
> >
> > As for Shosty, I'll stick to his symphonies and concertos for now.
> >
> > Ray Hall, Taree
>
> Even though the Bartók are more complex, to me they were all indisputably
> great music pretty much from the get-go. Of course they may well still
> not be for everyone.
> I found the Shostakovich quartets harder to get
> into. but I've become very fond of most of them. One suggestion if
> you want to sample the Shostakovich, don't start with #1, which is the
> weak sister of the bunch. Try #3 (in an early style more akin to tne
> symphonies) and #5.
Ray Hall, Taree
John Hood
Jun 12, 2020, 11:41:39 PM6/12/20
to
Secondly, the Rubio Quartet don't include the last two movements of SQ 1
on their box set. Is it possible that this quartet was revised by DSCH
at some stage? Just wondering . .
To Ray Hall, the time for Bartok's Quartets to be the next coming has
long passed. But they were in their time.
JH
Néstor Castiglione
Jun 12, 2020, 11:59:32 PM6/12/20
to
Your set must have an error or something. My copy with the Rubio has the complete SQ 1. Shostakovich never revised it nor any of his other major complete compositions (except for Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District/Katerina Ismailova).
John Hood
Jun 13, 2020, 3:59:31 AM6/13/20
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On 13/06/2020 11:59 am, Néstor Castiglione wrote:
> Your set must have an error or something. My copy with the Rubio has the complete SQ 1. Shostakovich never revised it nor any of his other major complete compositions (except for Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District/Katerina Ismailova).
Yeah, you are correct. Don't know what I was thinking - my bad ...
> Your set must have an error or something. My copy with the Rubio has the complete SQ 1. Shostakovich never revised it nor any of his other major complete compositions (except for Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District/Katerina Ismailova).
JH
Gerard
Jun 13, 2020, 5:14:45 AM6/13/20
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Op zaterdag 13 juni 2020 09:59:31 UTC+2 schreef John Hood:
What the Rubio Quartet did not include are the Two Pieces for String Quartet op. 36.
As far as I can see the Borodin Quartet (on Melodiya) did not include these too. But they did include the Two Pieces for String Octet op.11.
As far as I can see the Borodin Quartet (on Melodiya) did not include these too. But they did include the Two Pieces for String Octet op.11.
johngladn...@gmail.com
Jun 14, 2020, 11:01:56 AM6/14/20
to
The Manderling Quartet complete cycle, on five individual SACDs on Audite, is excellent, in superb multichannel surround sound. Highly recommended!
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