Anton Bruckner: String Quintet; Intermezzo; Rondo; String Quartet

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Bruckner's early string quartet is more a composition exercise than a full-fledged work of art, but the quintet is something else entirely: a chamber music masterpiece to rank with the great symphonies in expressive intensity and sheer musical grandeur. Indeed, there are a few places where Bruckner seems to demand an almost orchestral volume of tone, and the slow movement has been successful performed (and recorded) by a full string orchestra. The Intermezzo is none other than an alternative scherzo for the quintet, composed because the original players at the premier found Bruckner's first thoughts too difficult. Well, the members of L'Archibudelli certainly don't find the music too difficult--you won't find better performances anywhere. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

String Quintet In F Major: I Gemassigt
String Quintet In F Major: II Scherzo. Schnell - Trio. Langsamer
String Quintet In F Major: III Adagio
String Quintet In F Major: IV Finale. Lebhaft bewegt
Intermezzo In D Minor: Moderato - Trio. Langsamer
Rondo In C Minor For String Quartet
String Quartet In C Minor: I Allegro moderato
String Quartet In C Minor: II Andante
String Quartet In C Minor: III Scherzo. Presto - Trio
String Quartet In C Minor: IV Rondo. Schnell

Amazon.com

Bruckner's early string quartet is more a composition exercise than a full-fledged work of art, but the quintet is something else entirely: a chamber music masterpiece to rank with the great symphonies in expressive intensity and sheer musical grandeur. Indeed, there are a few places where Bruckner seems to demand an almost orchestral volume of tone, and the slow movement has been successful performed (and recorded) by a full string orchestra. The Intermezzo is none other than an alternative scherzo for the quintet, composed because the original players at the premier found Bruckner's first thoughts too difficult. Well, the members of L'Archibudelli certainly don't find the music too difficult--you won't find better performances anywhere. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Bruckner's chamber music on a single disc........2005-02-27

Anner Bylsma and his associates play period instruments
quite splendidly, and have an excellent feel for the great
Bruckner Quintet. They also make the "student" works
from Bruckner's Linz period (he was, in fact, in his late
thirties) sound like very good music indeed. I write this
because today's report from Amazon.com is that only
one disc remains to sell, and that for almost twice the
price when it was new (1994). Please, Sony, press up a new
batch and offer this outstanding disc at your usual price.

Technically good, but interesting rather than compelling.......2002-06-03

L' Archibudelli are known for "period-instrument" performances of Classical and Romantic works - i.e. gut strings, relatively light tone, not much vibrato. I have listened to some of their other recordings and find that while the sonority is easy to get used to, and helps the music's texture to be audible, I don't like the mannerisms of the group and the overall interpretation so much. Perhaps it has something to do with coming from a Baroque background, but the players seem to pay too much attention to little, supposedly "expressive" details which draw attention to themselves, while distracting from the overall line of the music. This is most noticeable in the Quintet's first and third movements - at some points the leader seems to be trying to shape each note individually, rather than letting them be parts of a larger whole. In Bruckner, melodic phrases last for several bars, so any attempt to interpret them as smaller units is ultimately rather tiring for the listener who has to piece them together again. This super-sensitive approach is encouraged by the slow tempos for these movements - the temptation is to "do something" to make all the long notes more "interesting". I also didn't like how the violins played some quiet passages with virtually no tone at all - at some points you strain to hear the melody! This does draw your attention, but only as a "special effect", not really serving the music. Good string players should be able to sustain a "singing" tone while playing even very quietly, what you get here is more like a breathy whisper. Conversely, in loud passages, there is very occasionally a feeling that they are trying to get too much out of the instruments and making a harsh sound (try near the beginning of the fourth movement).

My biggest annoyance is the very audible and conspicuous sniffing that seems to have been orchestrated between several of the players, right at an emotional climax of the Quintet's slow movement. Needless to say, it does not persuade me of their emotional committment - only the sound coming from the instruments could do that. The moment is somewhat ruined by this addition of this nasal instrumentation, which is not marked in the score... You can also hear a sniffing "solo" from the 'cello about one minute into the first movement - apparently Bylsma is incapable of playing a syncopated theme without rhythmic assistance from his nostrils. We wouldn't accept musicians marking time by tapping their feet, why are string players' noses any different?

On the plus side, the rhythm and tuning are very accurate, and the recording is technically very good; probably this is the second choice to get after a more straightforward interpretation, maybe the Brandis (on Nimbus) or Alberni (on CRD) quartets. Unfortunately good recordings of the Quintet are thin on the ground.

Tracks:

Harpsichord Concerto: Allegro Moderato
String Quartet In D Major: Vivace
Largetto - Allegro - Largo-Allegro
Symphony No. 7: Allegro Moderato
'Mass' in E Minor: Kyrie
'Mass' in E Minor: Gloria
'Mass' in E Minor: Agnus Dei
Piano Concerto op. 204: Variations and Rondo
Harp Concerto in A Major: Allegro molto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 104 in D Major: Adagio - Allegro
Symphony No. 94 in G Major: Andante
Quartet op. 3/5: Serenade
Emperor Quartet: Poco Adagio cantabile
The Seasons: Finale - 'Dann bricht der grosse Morgen an'
String Quartet in A Major: Presto
Ave maris stella
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor: Allegro Moderato
Viel Larm um nichts: Stage music op. 11
Liebesfreud
Liebesleid

Tracks:

Tarantella Galop
Paganini: Liebe - du Himmel auf Erden
The Count of Luxembourg: Unbekkant - doch nicht minder interessant
The Czarevitch: Hab' nur dich allein
Quintetto concertante in F Major: Menuetto
Adagietto
Das Lied von der Erde: The Drunken One in Spring
Der Bettelstudent: Und da soll man noch galant sein
Der Bettelstudent: Nur das ein bitt' ich dich
Gasparone: Anzoletta's Song - 'Komm - mia bella'
Gasparone: Dunkelrote Rosen
Harpsichord Concerto: Allegro
Piano Concerto op. 14: Allegro
Symphony No. 40 in G minor: Molto Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 21: 'Elvira Madigan' Andante
Sonata No. 11 in A Major: Rondo alla Turca

Tracks:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Serenade No. 13 - Allegro
'Der Holle Rache'
Boys trio: :Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkunden'
'In Diesen heil'gen Hallen'
O zittre nicht
Ave verum corpus
Requiem: Domine Jesu Christe
Laudate Dominum
Franz Lehrndorfer; organ: Hallelujah por la Resurrectione
Dance of the Elves
Tafelmusik: Intrada
Intermezzo from Notre Dame
Desire Waltz: Allegro Moderato
Desire Waltz: op 9a in A flat Major
The Trout Quintet: Andante - Theme with Variations

Tracks:

Der Erlkonig (Goethe)
Heindenroslein
Ungeduld
Rastlose Liebe
Die Winterreise: Der Lindenbaum
Carmen Quadrille
Radetzky March
The Blue Danube Waltz
Medley from 'Die Fledermaus': Champagne Polka
Medlef rom 'Die Fledermaus': So muss allein ich bleiben
Oje oje wie ruhrt mich dies
Medley from :Die Fledermaus': Klange der Heimat
Intermezzo from '1001 Nights'
Souvenior Polka
Galop of the Bandits
Boccaccio March
6 pieces for Orchestra, No. 1 - Langsam, No. 2 - Bewegt
Sei nicht bos
Faschingskinder

Customer Reviews:

Has anyone seen Bob in here?.......2006-05-23

Hey, has anyone seen my friend Bob in here? He said he'd meet me here. Oh well...

Ignore the other other reviewer.......2004-03-21

Five stars, one star, has anyone actually heard this recording? The first reviewer makes it pretty clear he's reviewing the search engine; the second reviewer is reviewing NOTHING.

ignore the other reviewer.......2004-03-19

I haven't heard this recording; I just wanted to give to something to boost its rating because obviously the other reviewer was writing a review of amazon's search engine and not this recording. I really don't know what rating it deserves, but seeing a recording w/ Wunderlich on it that gets one star just seems wrong.

Huh?.......2003-12-26

Oddly enough, Amazon's search engine brought me here when I was searching for "Blue Man Group"....unfortunately, the closest we get is the Blue Danube. Wonderful though it might be, it's NOT Blue Man Group.

Let me reiterate, there is NO Blue Man Group at all on this CD. Not even one track. None. Niente. Nada.

Heck, they aren't even Austrian. Or Australian, for that matter.