Verdi/Sibelius: String Quartets

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
This enterprising disc couples the only mature string quartets by two composers not known for their chamber music. Verdi's quartet is a late piece that surely deserves a more secure place in the repertoire than it has. It's first-rate music, as is the Sibelius, which comes with the subtitle "Intimate Voices." The fact that neither composer followed up these solo efforts does not detract from their value as music, nor from the Juilliard's achievement in making them sound every bit like the great music they are. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

String Quartet In E Minor: I. Allegro
String Quartet In E Minor: II. Andantino
String Quartet In E Minor: III. Prestissimo
String Quartet In E Minor: IV. Scherzo Fuga. Allegro assai mosso
String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56 'Voces intimae': I. Andante - Allegro molto moderato
String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56 'Voces intimae': II. Vivace
String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56 'Voces intimae': III. Adagio di molto
String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56 'Voces intimae': IV. Allegretto (ma pesante)
String Quartet In D Minor, Op. 56 'Voces intimae': V. Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

This enterprising disc couples the only mature string quartets by two composers not known for their chamber music. Verdi's quartet is a late piece that surely deserves a more secure place in the repertoire than it has. It's first-rate music, as is the Sibelius, which comes with the subtitle "Intimate Voices." The fact that neither composer followed up these solo efforts does not detract from their value as music, nor from the Juilliard's achievement in making them sound every bit like the great music they are. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Fine Performances of Unjustifiably Neglected Music.......2000-01-20

Verdi's quartet is his only piece of chamber music, and perhaps the only piece not featuring the human voice. Its lyricism is reminiscent of his operas, and Verdi shows no sign of discomfort with the restrictions of the quartet form. Sibelius, similarly, is known for his symphonies and tone poems, and not for the comparatively little chamber music that he wrote. His quartet, in less-traditional five-movement form, is also a fine work. The Juilliard Quartet's performances, combined with the quality of the compositions, make the listener wish that Verdi and Sibelius had written more than one string quartet each.