Schumann: String Quartet Nos. 1 & 3

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Having established himself as a soloist by the time he was 40, Austrian violinist Thomas Zehetmair defeated the midlife crisis by finding new fields to conquer. He branched out into conducting and, in 1997, formed a string quartet, which has already performed widely in Europe and America and released two CDs; this is the second. (The first featured works by Bartók and Karl Amadeus Hartmann.) Zehetmair's reputation was always based not only on his wide-ranging, adventurous repertoire, and unbridled temperament, but also on his idiosyncratic style and interpretive eccentricities, and he brings all these qualities to his quartet playing. He has chosen partners who are very good players and presumably kindred spirits, but they all pursue other activities as well and, moreover, do not live in the same city. Thus, their rehearsal time is limited, and they say they make the most of it by rehearsing, performing, and recording entirely from memory. Indeed, their intonation and ensemble are excellent, but this is not--or at least not yet--a unified quartet. The personalities have not merged, the tone lacks homogeneity, the balance is poor, the texture muddy, important details are lost. Instead of letting their solos emerge from a seamlessly woven tapestry of lines, the players tend to be too assertive or too subdued. Zehetmair's influence is clear in the tonal and musical excesses. Though he himself can produce a sweet, floating tone, the sound is predominantly rough and scratchy; tempi are erratic, often hectic, rhythms unsteady, dynamics exaggerated. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

Brandenbutg Concerto No.3 In G First Movement
Overture No.3 In D Second Movement
Violin Concerto In E First Movement
Prelude In C minor
Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Chorus From Cantata No.147)
Overture No.2 In B minor Minuet And Badinerie
Oboe Concerto In D minor Second Movement
Brandenburg Concerto No.4 In G Third Movement
Musical Offering - Fuga canonica
Easter Oratorio - Overture
Minuet In D minor
Kommst Du Nun, Jesu, Vom Himmel herunter(From Choral Prelude BWV 650
Brandenburg Concerto No.1 In F Second Movement
Art Of The Fugue - Contrapunctus 9
Concerto For Flute, Violin, Harpsichord And Strings. Triple Concerto - Third Movement
Overture No.4 In D - Réjouissance
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 1 in E: Spring
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 2 in G minor: Summer
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 3 in F: Autumn
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto No. 4 in F minor: Winter
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto for Flute, Strings & Basso Continuo in G minor, Op. 10, no.2
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 3, no. 8
Water Music - Alla Hornpipe
Xerxes - Ombra Mai Fu (Largo)
Messiah - And The Glory Of The Lord
Concerto Grosso In A Minor, Op. 6, No. 4 - Larghetto Affettuoso
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 4 Allegro
Water Music - Air
Messiah - For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Concerto Grosso In B flat, Op. 3, No. 2 - Largo
Salomon - Sinfonia, Act 3
The Choice Of Hercules - While For Thy Arms
Water Music - Allegro (Suite No. 1)
Suite No. 5 In E - Air With Variations
Jephtha - How Dark, O Lord
Organ Concerto In F, Op. 4, No. 5 Alla Siciliana - Presto
Mi Palpita Il Cor (Solo Cantata) S'un Di M'adora
Water Music - Andante Allegro Da Capo
Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra in E-flat: First Movement
Symphony No. 94 in G: Surprise Symphony-second movement
Concerto for Violin No. 2 in D: Third Movement
Flute Trio No. 31 in G: Second Movement
Symphony No. 31 in D: Hornsignal-First Movement
String Quartet No. 17 in F, Op. 3, no. 5: Serenade Quartet-Second Movement
Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat for Violin, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon and Orchestra-Third Movement
Concerto for 2 Horns & Orchestra in E-flat: Second Movement
Symphony No. 88 in G: Fourth Movement
String Quartet No. 77 in C: Kaiser Quartet-Poco adagio cantabile
Notturno No. 1 in C: Second Movement
Symphony No. 98 in B: Londoner No. 4-Fourth Movement
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - first movement
Piano Concerto in A - second movement
Flute Concerto in D - Rondeau
Serenade - Minuet
Violin Concerto - first movement
Symphony No. 40 in G minor - first movement
Clarinet Concerto - second movement
Turkish March
Divertimento - Minuet
Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat - first movement
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67-First Movement
Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2: Moonlight Sonata-First Movement
Overture
O welche Lust (Prisoners' Chorus)
Ha, welch ein Augenblick (Pizarros's Aria)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37: Second Movement
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 61: Third Movement
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13: Pathétique-Second Movement
Sympony No. 6 in F, Op. 68: Pastorale-First Movement
Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor, Op. 80: Choral Fantasy - Finale
German Dance No. 1 In C
Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 In G-Flat
Heidenroslein
Ave Maria
Der Lindenbaum
Quintet In A 'Trout Quintet' - Andante
Mass No. 6 In E-Flat - Kyrie
Die Schone Mullerin Des Mullers Blumen
German Dance No. 2 In G
Piano Sonata In B-Flat
Nachtgesang Im Walde
Winterreise - No. 15: Die Krahe
German Mass - Zum Sanctus (Heilit, Heilig Ist Der Herr)
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished' - Second Movement
Waltz No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 18 Grande Valse brillante
Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9, no. 2
Etude in G-flat, Op. 10, no. 5
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21-Second Movement
Mazurka in D minor, Op. 33, no. 2
Prelude in D-flat, Op. 28, no. 15 Raindrop
Etude in C, Op. 10, no. 1
Nocturne in D-flat, Op. 27, no. 2
Impromptu No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 Fantasy Impromptu
Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35-Third Movement
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor - first movement 113.String Seranade - Waltz
Violin Concerto - second movement
The Sleeping Beauty - Waltz
Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Swan Lake - Waltz
Eugene Onegin - Polonaise
The Nutcracker - Waltz of the Flowers
Orchestral Suite No. 4 - Mozartiana - Third Movement
Swan Lake - Dance of the Swans
Symphony No. 6 in B minor - Pathétique - Third Movement
Hungarian Dance No.5
Lullaby
Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op. 68 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in E-flat, Op.117, no. 1
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, Op. 77 - Third Movement
Waltz, Op. 39, no. 15
Concert for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 - Second Movement
String Quintet in G, Op. 111 - Second Movement
Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98 - Third Movement
Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 76, no. 7
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor
German Requiem Selig sind die Toten (Final Chorus)
Die Fledermaus - Overture
Kaiser Waltz, Op.437
Thunder And Lightning Polka, Op. 324
Roses From The South Waltz, Op. 388
AnnenPolka, Op. 117
Vienna Blood Waltz, Op. 354
Eljen A Magyar Polka, Op. 332
Wine, Women and Song Waltz, Op. 333
On The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 134
Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg - Overture
Tannhauser - Die Pilger sind's (Pilgims' Chorus)
Tannhauser - O du mein holder Abendstern (Wolfram's Aria)
Lohengrin - Act 3 Prelude and Bridal Chorus
The Flying Dutchman - Jo-ho-he Traft ihr das Schiff (Senta's Ballad)
The Flying Dutchman - Steuermann, lass die Wacht (Sailors' Chorus)
Die Walkure - Wintersturme wichen dem Wonnemond (Siegmund's Aria)
Die Walkure - Ride of the Valkyries
Siegfried Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede mein Hammer (Siegfried's Forging Song)
Tristan und Isolde - Liebestod
Thus sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (excerpt)
Don Juan, Op. 20
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64, I.Nacht
Don Quixote, Op.35, first movement: Introduction
Salome, Op. 54, Dance Of The Seven Veils
Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59, Finale: Hab' mir's gelobt ihn lieb zu haben
Piano Concerto 2 In C minor, Op. 18 - First Movement
Vocalise, Op.34, No. 14
Prelude In G Sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G minor, Op. 40 - Third Movement
Symphony No. 2 In E minor, Op. 27 - Third Movement
Piano Concerto No. 1 In F sharp minor, Op. 1 - Second Movement
Rhapsody, Op. 43 On A Theme By Paganini
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Liebestraum No.3 in A-flat
Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat - third movement
Angelus
Mephisto Waltz No.1 (Dance in a Village Tavern)
Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H
Dante Symphony - Finale. - Purgatorio - Magnificat
Les Préludes
Boléro
Daphnis et Chloé first movement: Nocturne
Rhapsodie Espagnole
Shéhérazade - first movement: Asie
Ma Mère l'Oye - fourth movement: La Belle et la Bête
Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet
La Valse
Slavic Dance No. 1 in C, Op. 46, no.1
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' - second movement
Humoresque, Op. 101
Slavic Dance No. 8 in G minor, Op. 46, no. 8
Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 22 - second movement
Romance for Violin and Orchestra In F minor, Op. 11
Symphony No. 7 in D minor - third movement
Melodie (Songs My Mother Taught Me)
Carneval Overture, Op. 92
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104 - third movement
Symphony No.4 In A, Op. 90. Italian - First Movement
Frühlingslied In A, Op. 62, No. 6
Wedding March (From A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61)
Duetto In F, Op.30, No.6 (From Songs Without Words)
String Symphony No.9 In C. Schweitzer Symphony - Third Movement
Concerto For Violin, Piano And String Orchestra No. 1 In D minor - Second Movement
Symphony No.3 In A minor, Op.56 Scottish - Third Movement"
Notturno (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Rondo Capriccioso, Op.14
String Symphony No. 12 In G minor - First Movement
Venetian Gondola Song In F Sharp minor, Op.30, No.6
Scherzo (From A Midsumment Night's Dream, Op. 61)
Violin Concerto In E minor, Op.64 - Third Movement
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - Morgenstimmung
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - I. Prelude. Allegro vivace
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 - IV. Air. Andante religioso
Arietta, Op. 12, no. 1
Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op. 56
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Solveig's Song
Wedding Day at Troldhauen, Op. 65, no. 6
The Last Spring, Op. 34, no. 2
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1, Op 46 - Anitra's Dance
Nordic Melody Op. 63
Notturno, Op. 54, no. 4
Elegie, Op. 47, no. 5
Peer Gynt - Suite No. 2, Op. 55 - Arabic Dance
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - Allegro
Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 97 - Rhenish - first movement
Traumerai (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)
Mondnacht (from Eichendorff-Liederkreis, Op. 39)
Aufschwung (from Fantasietucke, Op. 12)
Triolett, Op. 114, no. 2
Tanzlied (No. 1 from Duets, Op. 78)
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 - second movement
Frühlingsgruss
Abschied (from Waldszenen Op. 82)
Dichterliebe, Op. 48 - Im wunderschonen Monat Mai
Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Romance in F sharp, Op. 28, no. 2
Die Rose stand im Tau
Liebesgarten (from Four Duets, Op. 34)
Warum? (from Fantasiestucke, Op. 12)
Kennst du das Land, Op.79, no. 29 (from Lieder der Mignon, Op. 98a)
Von fremden Landern und Menschen (from Kinderszenen, Op. 15)

Album Description

An extraordinary 20-CD collection of great works by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Schumann, Wagner, Dvorak, Grieg and Liszt. It also features worldrenowned artists such as Sir Neville Marriner, Martha Argerich, Ivo Pogorelich, Hermann Prey, Reiner Goldberg, Sylvia Sass, Jochen Kowalski, Peter Schreler and many more. This exquisite, copper metallic, deluxe boxed set is the perfect gift for the classical music neophyte.

Customer Reviews:

Mill. Classical review.......2007-05-13

This is a great set of recordings for the money, the only problem was I've had to clean some of the CD's before they played correctly.

classical music for the unitiated.......2007-04-01

This set is a good way to start listening to classical music. It's very well produced and easy to listen to. I purchased it to use as part of my world history high school class. It would have been nice to have some bio information on the composers. However, the product is exactly as advertised and good value for the money. The students were intrigued by how many of the excerpts they had heard before.

Some little gems there that I had forgotten!.......2007-03-30

Although I studied classical music at school, I had all but forgotten it until I bought this set. I heard several tracks I haven't heard for over 30 years, and I had been humming Brahms's 'Hungarian Dance no. 5' for years without ever knowing what it was and it was on the disc, so that was nice.

I found it to be a very good selection overall, but I felt too much had already been heard on TV, which of course is what lots of newcomers to classical music might appreciate. I managed to find about 2 hours of tracks that I wanted to keep, which works out quite expensive per disc, but I did find some wonderful music I had completely forgotten about, so it was worth it. All in all, it represents good value, and I have only knocked one star off as so much of it had been used in adverts.

It is definitely a good introduction to classical music, and it has made me want to listen to more of it, so I don't regret this 'expensive' purchase one bit!

Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium [20 CD Set]

A very helpful collection.......2007-03-24

I define this set as an excellent way to find out who you like, and who you don't, among 20 of the important composers. It opens the door to purchasing more complete pieces by composers you do like, and can save a lot of time and money in the process.
To criticize the set for not containing more composers, or more than just snippets of those who are in the set, is missing the point: it is a helpful introduction to finding your way in the huge maze of classical music. It succeeds admirably in this.
Sound quality is uniformly very good on an audiophile system.
Highly recommended.

Excellent!.......2007-03-08

A great way to start a classical music collection. It's nice to have a full CD of each composer. It makes it easy to keep track of selections/composers I already have and what composers I still need to puchase to complete my collection.

Average customer rating:

The "Clinker" of the bunch

Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Beethoven: The Masterworks (Box Set)
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ASIN: B00062FLIS
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

The "Clinker" of the bunch.......2006-12-19

Having collected the entire "The Masterworks" series (including the Bach and Mozart Complete Works) this set is the 'clinker' of the bunch. First off... 6 CD's of Lieder 'historic' (pre-historic) recordings. No Overtures, No Orchestral Seranades, No Haydn Variations?? The performances of the Symphonies and the Concertos are shakey and not very well recorded. Brilliant Classics, who has done such a wonderful job with the Hadyn Complete Symphonies (licensed from Nimbus), the Mozart and Bach Complete sets, has stumbled a bit with this release.

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All Three Schumann Quartets on One CD

Schumann: String Quartets Nos. 1-3

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Schumann: Complete Piano Trios
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Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 (The Mahler Arrangements)

ASIN: B000JVSVF6
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Tracks:

Introduzione: Andante Espressivo - Allegro
Scherzo: Presto - Intermezzo
Adagio
Presto
Allegro Espressivo - Allegro Molto Moderato
Andante Quasi Variazioni
Scherzo: Presto
Allegro Molto Vivace
Andante Espressivo - Allegro Molto Moderato
Assai Agitato - Un Poco Adagio - Tempo Risoluto
Adagio Molto
Allegro Molto Vivace

Customer Reviews:

All Three Schumann Quartets on One CD.......2006-12-22

It has been extremely unusual until very recently for all three Schumann Quartets, his Op. 41, to be recorded on one CD. Usually we would get Nos. 2 & 3, and although there have been a few other CDs that contained all three -- including those of the Quatuor Ysaye and Eroica Quartets -- this is, I believe, the best of the lot. And at budget price, too! Quatuor Ysaye, in my opinion, gives a rather flaccid account of No. 1 and has some intonational problems. The Eroica Quartet plays on gut strings, and although that doesn't necessarily disqualify them -- I'd love to hear Quatuor Mosaïques play these works -- I was somehow not terribly pleased with their accounts even though others have raved about them; I think my main objection was the sound of the cello, which seemed rather nasal.

The Fine Arts Quartet has been in residence at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for years and have been concertizing for fifty years -- three of the members have been in the quartet for twenty-five years -- and have made some outstanding recordings over that time; I particularly like their set of the Mozart quintets. (They are not, by the way, to be confused with the similarly named and similarly distinguished Pro Arte Quartet, long resident at the sister campus of the University of Wisconsin - Madison.) They are a rock-solid non-flashy but very musical quartet who have given us satisfying performances year after year.

I was won over by their spirited manner with the scherzo of the First Quartet, with its galloping rhythms and daredevil tempo; the same comment applies to the quartet's finale. (A personal confession: The first time I ever heard this quartet -- played brilliantly in concert by the American String Quartet -- I thought that the group had gotten out of sync at the end of the finale, not realizing that the final low A of the cello comes an eighth note after the upper instruments play their final chord. I recall saying later something to the ASQ's cellist, David Geber, and he simply pointed to the last page of the score, to my red-faced embarrassment.)

The Second Quartet begins with one of Schumann's loveliest melodies, reminding me a bit of the expansive arch of the opening theme of Brahms's First Quintet, Op. 88. The second movement, the Andante quasi Variazioni, is a somehow little less songful than one might have hoped, even though the Fine Arts give it a fine reading, but the following scherzo and allegro molto vivace bring the quartet to a rousing finish. The Andante espressivo introduction of the Third Quartet is as songful as one could ask, followed by an equally soulful Allegro molto moderato. (I think I love this movement best of all the Schumann quartet movements.) The Fine Arts do a brilliant job of conveying the movement's charming diffidence alternating with impulsive interjections. For some reason the Third's second movement reminds me of one of Rachmaninov's piano miniatures (e.g. the Humoresque); I wonder if Rachy knew this quartet? The Fine Arts play it with quicksilver charm. The deeply-felt melancholy of the Adagio molto comes as a bit of surprise after that second movement; the Fine Arts give it all the feeling it requires, even not eschewing an occasional portamento of the sort more commonly heard half a century ago but entirely appropriate and effective in this movement. The Third's finale, Allegro molto vivace, with its bouncy dotted rhythms is a bracing end to this set of three quartets. It seems odd to me that the Schumann quartets seem to reside somewhere on the margins of the standard quartet literature, at least as judged by their sparse appearances on quartet programs.

The Fine Arts Quartet -- Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, violins; Yuri Gandelsman, viola; Wolfgang Laufer, cello -- are one of America's best quartets and one that should be recording more. One hopes this set, recorded in January 2006 at the Wittem Monastery in the Netherlands, will be followed soon by more releases.

Sound is lifelike. Keith Anderson's booklet notes are excellent; they give instructive indications of the structure of the quartets. This is an outstanding set made all the more attractive by its budget price.

Scott Morrison

The Essential Hyperion (Label Highlight Compilation)

Average customer rating:

A MUST BUY!!!
Great music, Excellent Value!
This truly is essential!

The Essential Hyperion (Label Highlight Compilation)
Henry Purcell , Charles Villiers Stanford , Sheppard, John , Haydn, Joseph , Satie, Erik , Schumann, Robert , and Shostakovich, Dmitri
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ASIN: B000002ZDX
Release Date: 1995-02-13

Tracks:

Concerto For Two Trumpets, 1687: Allegro
Abdelazer: Rondeau
Who Can From Joy Refrain?: A Prince Of Glorious Race
The Morning: The Glitt'ring Sun
The Ephesian Matron, Or The Widow's Tears: Vaudeville
Magnificat In G
Libera Nos
Cantigas de amigo: My Love's Coming Home
My Lady, You Do Great Wrong
Locus iste
Symphony No 14 In A: Tempo di Minuetto
Symphony No 94 In G (The 'Surprise' Symphony): Finale
Gymnopedie No. 1: Gymnopedie No. 1 (Orchestrated By Debussy)
Liederkreis op. 39: Waldesgesprach
Album Leaf In Waltz Form
Prelude And Fugue In A, Op. 87, No. 7
Phil The Fluter's Ball
Piano Concerto In C Sharp Minor, Op. 30: Allegro
O salutaris hostia
Da quel sembiante, D. 688, No. 3
Sonata In G Minor, Op. 5, No. 5: Vivace
Clarinet Quartet No 1 In E Flat, Op. 2: Rondo
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: Furiant
Sherzo In A minor, Op. 81, No. 2
Come You, Mary, Op. 21, No. 2
Chorale Prelude 'Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g' mein'
Deus in adiutorium
Sortie In E Flat

Customer Reviews:

A MUST BUY!!!.......2001-03-03

If I had to choose one CD to spend a month locked in isolation with, this would be the one. Its varied but it flows well together. It's restive and soothing. The quality is beyond excellent!!! At the price, anyone is a fool not to own it, and give it lavishly as gifts. Its gorgeous, lush and fabulous! Everyone that hears it in our home, falls in love with it!

Great music, Excellent Value!.......2000-07-26

Rarely can one buy so much good music for so little. This compilation features almost 80 minutes of high quality music.

This truly is essential!.......1999-10-23

What a brilliant idea from one of our leading record companies! On this disc, they have assembled a programme of highlights from their vast collection of choral, vocal, orchestral, and solo instrumental music that is very satisfying. As with most CDs of this sort, it is a case of some tracks not appealing as much as others- I for instance am a lover of choral music so the gorgeous renditions of Stanford's "Magnificat" by St. Paul's Cathedral Choir or John Sheppard's divine motet "Libera Nos" by the Sixteen are obvious preferences of mine. However, whether you seek dyed-in-the-wool orchestral classics as Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony, less familiar works performed by period artists (such as "'E irei Madr'a Vigo" by ancient Spanish composer Martin Codax), or snippets of breathtaking instrumental solos (such as the rousing performance of Lefebure-Wely's "Sortie in E flat" which is sadly only an excerpt), this disc is bound to have something on it for you. And all of it is finely recorded.

Average customer rating:

Itzhak Perlman Collection

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DOKC
Release Date: 1995-01-01

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25 Classical Heartbreakers

25 Classical Heartbreakers

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0007TFHCA
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Customer Reviews:

25 Classical Heartbreakers.......2006-11-29

Although these are popular and widely heard compositions (that's why I gave it 4 stars) they are very soothing when you want to mellow out. However, I can't understand why the title reads '20 Classical Heartbreakers' when there are 25 pieces.

Average customer rating:

World's Most Beautiful Music

Manufacturer: Spj Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000021YJ2
Release Date: 1998-04-07

Average customer rating:

Very good.
A DARKER GLIMPSE OF THE SCHUMANN UNDERBELLY
Beautiful sounds of the Lark Quartet

Schumann Quartets Op. 41 - Nos. 1 & 3

Manufacturer: Arabesque Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Borodin: String Quartets
Arnold Schoenberg/Alexander Zemlinsky: String Quartets
Ernest Bloch: Quartets No. 2 & No.3
In the Shadow of World War I

ASIN: B000000T9U
Release Date: 1997-08-26

Tracks:

String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1: Andante espressivo: Allegro
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1: Scherzo. Presto
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1: Adagio
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1: Presto
String Quartet In A Major, Op. 41, No. 3: Andante espressivo: Allegro molto moderato
String Quartet In A Major, Op. 41, No. 3: Assai agitato
String Quartet In A Major, Op. 41, No. 3: Adagio molto
String Quartet In A Major, Op. 41, No. 3: Finale: Allegro molto vivace

Customer Reviews:

Very good........2005-06-30

Like many of his other works, Schumann's string quartets exist on the edge of the standard repertoire. I've heard quartet players complain that his string writing is non-idiomatic, that the counterpoint is weak, and that these works don't have the balance of instrumentation evident in the three great Classical masters, or of Schubert, Mendelssohn, or Brahms. That, coupled with the difficulty conveying the meaning of many of Schumann's works, means that the interpretive challenge of Schumann's music is considerable.

So, how does the Lark Quartet play these works, op. 41 no.'s 1 and 3? Very well! Beautiful phrasing, complete technical mastery, and a wonderfully lithe (not too rich) sound enable them to play this music with an ease and, in the slower movements, a natural, breathing quality. Each of the player's lines is easily distinguished, yet their sense of ensemble is admirable. For example, the changes of rhythm and character in the rondo of no. 3 are an excellent example of an ensemble playing as one unit.

So, why not 5 stars? I have two complaints. First, this group plays with such facility and technical ease that they at times rush through the music without enjoying Schumann's wonderful harmonic and melodic changes. The same movement mentioned above (no. 3's rondo) that I admire for its ensemble is, frankly, played at a frantic pace that doesn't slow down for the changes in mood and character that are such an important part of Schumann's extended movements. The last movement of the no. 1 fares a bit better because it is of the nature of a perpetuum mobile, but here too there are moments when I wish the Lark would ease up a bit and let Schumann's voice speak. It is as if they are intent on impressing me with their speed. This might work in the op. 44 quartets of Mendelssohn, but not here. Schumann's music is both too complex and too fragile to be played at a headlong rush.

Second, the recording is obviously engineered to favor the middle voices. As is so often in Schumann's chamber music (the trios, the violin sonatas, etc.) the violin's line does not often rise to its highest registers. When it does, however, Schumann does so with such emphasis or with a particularly wonderful theme or sonority that it shouldn't be burdened with the lower voices or underplayed at all. Yet here, it sounds to me as if the recording is 'balanced' to give the Lark a more rich sound and the first violin's lines are often muted. This is unsatisfying in too many places, to say nothing of Astrid Schween's excellent cello-playing.

I would give this recording 4.5 stars if I could and other than these rather minor gripes, this is a very good recording. I've been familiar with Schumann's quartets for a while, but this is the first recording of them (of no.'s 1 and 3) that I own. This recording is an excellent choice.

I don't normally respond to other reviewers. However, another reviewer has characterized the Schumann quartets as his 'underbelly'. Please. Schumann's quartets are some of the most accessible and immediately satisfying music he ever composed and are from a period in his life where he began to reject his earlier penchant for the fantastic. His handling of thematic transformation is wonderful and the harmonic structure of no. 1 is daring, yet completely satisfying. It is no wonder where Brahms derived his inspiration! It's time to jettison this idea that Schumann's music is a tortured expression of self-loathing and is technically feeble. Educate yourself and enjoy his genius!

A DARKER GLIMPSE OF THE SCHUMANN UNDERBELLY.......2003-08-08

As their catalogue begins to grow and widen, The Lark Quartet still never fails to impress. They seem always in the midst of exploration and rediscovery, whether it's rendering the Borodin string quartets anew, illustrating the breadth and scope of Amy Beach's underestimated chamber works, tackling the modernist bypaths of Aaron Jay Kernis, or illuminating, as they do here, the complex and glorious emotional quagmires inherent every step of the way in Schumann's Op. 41 (Nos. 1 & 3). In the prescient hands of The Lark Quartet, tempi are imaginatively observed, with allegros and prestos pointedly concise and neurotically paced, drawing quite brilliantly on Schumann's penchant for spontaneous mania, and with adagios that teeter on the brink of utter heartbreak and mental exhaustion. Playing of this caliber, sympathy and absolute devotion is, without question, completely absorbing, and is further enhanced by the most realistic and vivid sound. Had The Larks also included the Op. 41, No. 2, which seems inherently possible, as well as critical, they would have soared mightily above all competition.

[Running time: 53:13]

Beautiful sounds of the Lark Quartet.......2000-07-19

The first time I heard this album was a month ago on a trip to Germany. My friends and I were walking down the old streets of Lindau, Germany late at night and were drawn to this beautiful music coming from inside a cafe. At first we thought there was a live quartet playing, but upon going inside the small cafe, we learned it was this amazing recording. We talked to the owner of the cafe for a while and he treated the 5 of us to a liter of Coca Cola and conversation. It was an amazing night that I will never forgt and it was all due to the beautiful music of the Lark Quartet and Schumann.

Schumann: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3 (Transcribed for String Orchestra)

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!
They COULD Have Been Written for String Orchestra!

Schumann: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3 (Transcribed for String Orchestra)

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Mozart at Eight: Sonatas for Keyboard and Flute, K. 10-15

ASIN: B000H1QUPG
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Tracks:

I. Andante Espressivo: Allegro Molto Moderato
II. Assai Agitato-Un Poco Adagio-Tempo Risoluto
III. Adagio Molto
IV. Allegro Molto Vivace
I. Introduzione: Andante Espressivo-Allegro
II. Scherzo: Presto-Intermezzo
III. Adagio
IV. Presto

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!.......2006-10-23

I strongly support the insighful review by Scott Morrison and only wish to add that the sound is also quite good. Another outstanding Naxos release!

They COULD Have Been Written for String Orchestra!.......2006-10-05

As far as I know there has been no previous recording of a string ensemble version of any of Schumann's three quartets. Here we have two of them -- Nos. 1 & 3 -- in arrangements by a Montreal violist/conductor, Jean-Philippe Tremblay, conducted by him and played by some of his Quebec colleagues, most of them from the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. And what a job they do! Schumann's quartets are the quintessential Romantic quartets with frequent changes of mood -- in Schumann's case often from feverish agitation to fragility and introspection and back -- and when played by a string quartet they are tricky, to say the least, for the players to coordinate; the players have to all be on the save wave-length. Translate that to a string ensemble and you have a recipe for disaster. Quite clearly this group are capable of following Tremblay's lead and they play as one player. Marvelous!

The arrangements, as is usually the case with quartets made into string ensemble pieces, do not alter the instrumentation of the quartet all that much. Tremblay adds double basses at strategic moments, but generally the violin, viola and cello sections play very much as they would if playing individually in a quartet. There are allowances made for the thickening of texture and indeed the timings are slightly longer than one generally gets in performances of the quartets. But this does not translate into a sludgy texture at all. Indeed, for instance, in the scherzo of No. 3 we have almost Mendelssohnian lightness. Some movements, as translated to a string orchestra texture, are more successful than others: both scherzi are terrific as are the first and fourth movements of No. 1, the finale of No. 3. The two slow movements are, for me, a bit less convincing than in their quartet guise, although they seem to be played nicely enough.

The most interesting thing is that I suspect anyone coming to these arrangements without prior knowledge of the quartets themselves would be convinced that they had been written for string orchestra. One hears anticipations of, say, Elgar's writing for string ensemble and even Tchaikovsky's string writing.

The Montreal Players are reported in the accompanying booklet to be preparing recordings of Tremblay arrangements of quartets by Tchaikovsky and the two sextets by Brahms. Bring them on!

Scott Morrison

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Cost-conscious classics for the frugal consumer!

Piano by Candlelight Favorites

Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music