Borodin: Quartet No. 2; Smetana: Quartet No. 1 "From My Life"

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Playing on the matched set of Paganini Strads form the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Cleveland Quartet shows that Americans can do the music proudly, too. Their reading is well-paced and thoughtfully phrased, and while their sound is lighter than that of the Borodin ensemble, it is handsomely captured in Telarc's 1988 recording. Smetana's E Minor Quartet (From My Life) makes for a desirable coupling. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
II. Scherzo
III. Notturno
IV. Finale
I. Allegro Vivo Appassionato
II. Allegro Moderato A La Polka
III. Largo Sostenuto
IV. Vivace

Amazon.com

Playing on the matched set of Paganini Strads form the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Cleveland Quartet shows that Americans can do the music proudly, too. Their reading is well-paced and thoughtfully phrased, and while their sound is lighter than that of the Borodin ensemble, it is handsomely captured in Telarc's 1988 recording. Smetana's E Minor Quartet (From My Life) makes for a desirable coupling. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Classic Delights........2002-03-28

The Borodin begins the program with an awkwardly cascading melody that eventually weaves its way among all the parts swelling like a creek until it reaches a serenly quiet pool. Robert Wright and George Forrest manipulated the Scherzo and Notturno into "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" & "And This Is My Beloved" for their 1953 musical Kismet. Borodin's gifted melodies are just as stellar in their original form. The romantic and lilting Scherzo is like a champagne toast. The yearning Notturno develops a perfectly balanced echo before the emphatic finale. Smetana's quartet is by far more polished than the Borodin in both arrangement and technical prowess. The plaintive opening leads into the "serious" second movement polka. The weighty Largo finally concedes to the unison joys of the Vivace finale. The two quartets complement each other marvelously. Don't let the dreary cover illustration fool you, these romantic quartets would be comfortable at any black-tie gathering.

Romantic String Quartet of Two Great Composers.......2001-07-06

This is 57 minutes of beautiful, flowing string music composed by one Russian and the other Czech.

Wanting more of Borodin after long love affair with his Nocturne, I searched for a quality recording of the Quartet in No. 2. This Cleveland Quartet recording is clear and played on a matched set of Stradivarius instruments once belonging to Paganini.

Borodin is remarkable individual, who worked productively in both fields of chemistry and music. This quartet no. 2 was dedicated to his wife in honor of their 20th anniversary. No wonder many of us find this music no hauntingly romantic.

Smetana has long been of interest to me, now I enjoy this quartet as well. He supposedly composed this as his personal response to life's tragedy for him, which declined to deafness and insanity. It was a programmatic movement, from the opening youthful mood to the second (a polka) of youthful dancing, to the largo of first love, to the haunting Finale, a lengthy holding high pitched note, which reminded him of the oncoming deafness. Interesting that in first private performance, Dvorak performed the viola part.

Will get much play from me. Delightful stuff!

Forget the Borodin, it's all about Smetana!.......2001-05-28

I'm sorry to say, but I absolutely cannot stand Borodin's music, particularly his chamber music. THat aside, the Cleveland Quartet does a beautiful interpretation of this awful quartet; they actually make that piece tolerable.

However, for those of you who like the Borodin (I'm unsure why :-)...you'll love it.

Bad bit aside, the Smetana is absolutely brilliant. It is a wonderful programmatic piece of chamber music written by an amazing (yet underrated) composer - it really is a little known gem. And the performance of it is spectacular - they truly do bring out the rich Romanticism that is present in all of Smetana's works.

So, buy this for the Smetana - you will not regret it!

Beautiful and Romantic Mush.......2001-03-07

For anyone seeking the very romantic string quartet music, this is the perfect CD-- romantic almost to the brink of schmaltz, yet irresistibly lyrical. The Borodin is a fluffy soufflé, rich and sugary. You may know the Nocturne as "And This is My Beloved" from Kismet. Certainly, it may be over-the-top romanticism, and my better half says, "resist!" yet I find myself indulging it in again and again.

Smetana's quartet is one of the few programmatic sting quartets. In it, he musically depicts various events from his life-- his romantic moods, his love of dancing (embodied in the polka of the second movement), his first love, and, in the finale, the deafness which began to appear when he was 50 years old.

Tracks:

The Swan
Adagio
Larghetto
Andante
Adagio Sostenuto
Nocturne
Andante
Salut D'Amour
Menuetto

Tracks:

The Moldau
Abendlied
Un Poco Adagio-Allegro Vivace
Larghetto
Andante Cantabile
Canzonetta-Andante
Veils
Adagio For Strings

Average customer rating:

On the contrary!
Nothing interesting....

Telarc Collection, Vol. 4

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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The Telarc Collection, Volume 2
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Telarc Collection, Vol. 7
Telarc Collection, Vol. 6

ASIN: B000003D6B
Release Date: 1992-06-30

Tracks:

Theme From Superman - Erich Kunzel
Two Part Invention In F Major - Wendy Carlos
Overture The School For Scandal - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Rondo: Allegro - John O'Conor
The Moldau - Zdenek Macal
Song About Alexander Nevsky - Andre Previn
Veni, Creator Spiritus - Robert Shaw
Hoedown - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Danse Profane - Frances Tietov
Notturno - Cleveland Quartet
Rondo: Allegro - Rudolf Serkin
Largo-Allegro Moderato - David Zinman
Ride Of The Valkyries - Lorin Maazel
Sonata No. 49 - Empire Brass
Russian Sailor's Dance - Leonard Slatkin
We're Losing Him - William Tritt
Gone An' Git It Y'all - Count Basie Orchestra
Good Vibrations - Papa Doo Run Run

Customer Reviews:

On the contrary!.......2000-11-07

Other than about six tracks, this is a very good CD.

Nothing interesting...........2000-05-15

Nothing interesting. There are many pieces here but I have only enjoyed "The magnificent Seven". As for Mahler's First (included in the disc)...just forget it. It is the worst I have listened to, and I have listen to many....

Borodin: String Quartet No2; Smetana: String quartet

Average customer rating:

Borodin: String Quartet No2; Smetana: String quartet

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000429F
Release Date: 1996-06-11

Tracks:

String Quartet No.1 in e 'From my life': Allegro vivo appassionato
String Quartet No.1 in e 'From my life': Allegro moderato a la Polka
String Quartet No.1 in e 'From my life': Largo sostenuto
String Quartet No.1 in e 'From my life': Vivace
String Quartet No.2 in D: Allegro moderato
String Quartet No.2 in D: Scherzo: Allegro
String Quartet No.2 in D: Notturno: Andante
String Quartet No.2 in D: Finale: Andante - Vivace

Amazon.com

This disc has some wonderful compositions to recommend it, but not much else. The Takács Quartet plays both of these emotionally outgoing romantic pieces with more caution than fervor, sinking them as listening experiences. They are recorded in an overresonant acoustic, which probably removes some of the rhythmic emphasis from the playing, although there obviously wasn't enough in the first place. Under the circumstances it would be churlish to complain that there was plenty of room on this 52-minute disc for another piece of music. The Borodin Quartet is much better played by the Emerson Quartet (Deutsche Grammophon 427 618-2), Smetana by the Panocha Quartet (Supraphon 11 1514-2). --Leslie Gerber