[Project22a]

So I've been listening to those "Tribute to" String Quartet cover albums lately and I must say I'm enjoying them a lot. So much that I'd like to maybe take a step into the "String Quartet" genre (if such a thing exists). Can anyone recommend any specific songs or albums to help me get started?

 

[Agent Kang]

janacek's 2nd,
Ludwig's Op 130,131,132
Ravel's Quartet in F,
Dvorak's American,
Haydn's "Emporer"
Bartok's 5th

list can go on and and....

 

[vcoheda]

beethoven and schubert are up there with the best. these sets are bargains, but have great performances.

 

[Sordel]

Skip the Bartok: it's pretty advanced listening, even if you are already familiar with the String Quartet genre.

For me, the "greatest hit" amongst C20 String Quartets is probably Shostakovich's 8th, which is exciting and made more accessible by the fact that it's the same theme over & over again. His 2nd and 3rd quartets are even better, and - with the possible exception of Bartok - no one wrote a more important cycle of quartets than Shostakovich after Beethoven. I like the Emerson quartet's complete cycle.

Ravel, Debussy, Janacek are all essential quartets to hear.

Personally, I find Beethoven's many quartets rather daunting as a cycle, but do try no. 15 in A minor. You'll be wanting them all in due course. It's the same with Schubert, but no. 14 ("Death and the Maiden") is the one to get started.

On the minimalist side Terry Riley's Salome Dances For Peace is very good, and there are good discs of quartets by Glass (Kronos Quartet) & Nyman (Balanescu Quartet). Steve Reich's Different Trains is a classic recent string quartet, but I wouldn't recommend that anyone start there, because it's too "sensational" in terms of theme and effects.

I'll end with some less usual recommendations. The Keller Quartett's version of Die Kunst der Fuge by Bach on ECM is brilliant: buy it ... you won't regret it. And Robert Simpson's 9th quartet (32 Variations and Fugue on a theme of Haydn) is great; the theme and variations are all palindromic, which makes for fun listening.

 

[steviebee]

Two of my all-time favourite quartets:
Ravel
Sibelius (Voces Intimae)

Good thread -must check out these recs!
Edit\ Especially Terry Riley -one of his I haven't heard. Wonderful composer & nice guy.

 

[Bryan T]

The quartets I find myself listening to the most are Bartok and Shostakovich. I listen to a lot of the Kronos Quartets releases of new/old/eclectic music. Tigran Mansurian has a few quartets that are definitely worth listening to, too. If you like Bach, check out the Emerson Quartets release "Art of the Fugue."

Bryan

 

[scompton]

I suggest checking you're local library before buying 20th century string quartets.

I tried one disc of Shostakovich and hated it. I'm not sure which quartets were on the disc. They may not have been very accessible ones. It was the Borodin Quartet.

I also haven't liked much that I've checked out from the library by the Kronos Quartet

I bought the Bartok quartets after getting them out of the library. I like them, but have to be in the mood to listen to them, which is true for me with most of Bartok's music.

 

[Bryan T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif I suggest checking you're local library before buying 20th century string quartets.

Great suggestion. I find a lot of these works are 'growers' - the more I listen to them, the more I get out of them.

Bryan

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan T /img/forum/go_quote.gif Great suggestion. I find a lot of these works are 'growers' - the more I listen to them, the more I get out of them. Bryan

At first listen, I didn't hate the Bartok, but I didn't like it either. It took 3 or 4 listens before I decided I would buy it. I love my local library.

I need to relisten to Shostakovich, probably the one accessible one mentioned above.

 

[Bryan T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif I need to relisten to Shostakovich, probably the one accessible one mentioned above.

Definitely track down a copy of Shostakovich's 8th. That was the one that got me into Shostakovich. The Emerson Quartet had a low price CD of just that piece.

Check out the Tigran Mansurian quartets, too. They might be harder to find, but I like them a lot.

Bryan

 

[scompton]

One more 20th C that I hated and another that I like

Hated - Peter Maxwell Davies’s Naxos Quartets. I'm not sure which ones, but one listen was more than enough

Like - Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time

 

[FalconP]

If you are new to the string quartet genre, I think the best place to start is Haydn: his works are fresh, sprightly, endlessly melodic, and reasonably short. Among the best interpretators are the Quator Mosaiques (try their Op.76 cycle). If you want to go budget, Kodaly Quartet's recordings under Naxos are a must.

For Beethoven, start with the middle quartets Op.59. His late string quartets have a daunting reputation, but the last one (Op. 132/133) is beautifully meditative.

Among the string quartets by late Romantic composers, the easiest to get your ears to is Dvorak -- he has this magic touch for structure, form and melody. Brahms is of course a grand master, but may not be a beginner's first choice. Somehow Schubert or Mendelssohn don't click for me, but that of course does not mean their works aren't good.

This budget 2-CD will get you started with the better-known quartets by Shostakovich, before you invest in any of the complete cycles.

Terry's Salome Dance of Peace is extremely long and, at least to me, rambling and not particularly well-structured. Many a time I tried to finish it but I couldn't. Requiem for Adam might be a better piece to get acquainted to.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP /img/forum/go_quote.gif This budget 2-CD will get you started with the better-known quartets by Shostakovich, before you invest in any of the complete cycles.

The Shostakovich I listened to was one disc out of the Melodiya set. Does anyone know how this compares. It gets good ratings on Amazon but I didn't connect to it at all.

 

[FalconP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Shostakovich I listened to was one disc out of the Melodiya set. Does anyone know how this compares. It gets good ratings on Amazon but I didn't connect to it at all.

I have not heard of the Melodiya set, although it is very famous and much sought-after (recently it has been re-released: at full price!). The Borodin Quartet under Virgin has a different line-up, and most probably recorded in better sound. However, I would suppose the interpretations won't differ by much.

Some individual quartets by Shostakovitch can be challenging, but the famous ones (7,8,9) speak directly to the heart.

 

[tru blu]

I particularly dig the versions of Shostakovich Quartets 13 and 14 by Gidon Kremer on Edition Lockenhaus, Vol. 4/5.