Janacek: String Quartets

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Janácek's quartets are quite unlike most others written in the 20th century. The utter originality of his mature style (tiny rhythmic and melodic fragments not so much linked as placed side by side) combined with the strange figurations he presents the players make for unique listening. At first the province of Czech quartets, they have gradually become popular everywhere--players seem to enjoy the challenge they present. The Guarneri is the latest world-famous quartet to record them and offers memorable performances. The music is treated as if it were totally mainstream; the fragments are somehow joined into arching, expressive melodic lines, and the odd figurations transformed into reasonable facsimiles of accompaniments. This beauty comes at a price; when was the last time you were offered 41 minutes of music on a premium CD? --Paul Turok

Customer Reviews:

classic performances of great chamber music.......2007-01-07

The Janacek string quartets are classics of the chamber music repertoire - they are immediately accessible works that should be in the library of any music lover. As these performances by the Janacek Quartet were at one time regarded as definitive, buyers should have no reservations at all about the interpretations. The recordings of the Janacek quartets date from 1963 with sound that is warm & full-bodied. The players sound as if they were right on top of the microphone & the result is thick & up-front in a way that I find very pleasing.

The disc is rounded out by Novak's String Quartet no. 2, a good companion piece for the Janacek. Highly recommended.

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WOW!!!!

Most Famous Czech String Quartets
Smetana , Dvorak , Janacek , and Prazak Quartet
Manufacturer: Praga Czech Rep.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Brahms: Complete Trios

ASIN: B000BOH3F0
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Customer Reviews:

WOW!!!!.......2006-10-26

Exhilerating, Electrifying and totally idiomatic performance by the GREAT Prazak Quartet of, arguably, the 6 greatest Czech quartets in the canon.
I am without words at this writing to describe what I just heard.
No other performance (and I have a few others) can possibly be this well done.
So only one other feeling comes to mind..Breathtaking...
(This CD also includes Janacek's Violin Sonata and Smetana's From The Homeland for piano & violin).
And to top it all off is the Demonstration bracket sound.
Oh so clean, transparent and rich with great depth and wonderful tone.
This may already be my favorite CD of the 600+ I have. I mean #1.
Like I said "WOW"!!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Czech Masters - Smetana, Janácek, Martinu: Complete Quartets (Box Set)

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Czech Masters - Smetana, Janácek, Martinu: Complete Quartets (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Grieg: Chamber Music (Complete)
Historic Russian Archives Emil Gilels Edition [Box Set]
Fauré: Piano Music complete [Box Set]

ASIN: B0000UX5FM
Release Date: 2003-11-25

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Janácek: String Quartets

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OMCIW2
Release Date: 2007-06-26

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Fabulour Lindsay String Quartet Recording

Janácek: The Two String Quartets

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mozart: String Quartets Nos. 14 - 23

ASIN: B0000030SB
Release Date: 1993-12-16

Tracks:

Str Qt No.1 'The Kreutzer Son': First Movt: Adagio-Con Moto
Str Qt No.1 'The Kreutzer Son': Second Movt: Con Moto Vivace
Str Qt No.1 'The Kreutzer Son': Third Movt: Con Moto-Vivac-Andante
Str Qt No.1 'The Kreutzer Son': Fourth Movt: Con Moto
Str Qu No.2 'Intimate Letters': First Movt: Andante-Allegro
Str Qu No.2 'Intimate Letters': Second Movt: Adagio-Piu Mosso-Vivace-Andante-Presto
Str Qu No.2 'Intimate Letters': Third Movt: Moderato-Adagio-Allegro
Str Qu No.2 'Intimate Letters': Fourth Movt: Allegro-Andante-Allegro-Adagio-Tempo l
Cypresses: No.1. Moderato ('I Know That On My Love To Thee')
Cypresses: No.2. Allegro Ma Non Troppo ('In Many A Heart Is Death')
Cypresses: No.3. Andante Con Moto ('In The Sweet Power Of Your Eyes')
Cypresses: No.4. Poco Adagio ('Oh, Our Love Will Not Bloom Into That Long Wished-For Happiness')
Cypresses: No.5. Andante ('Here I Search For Your Dear Letter')
Cypresses: No.6. Andante Moderato ('Oh, Golden Charming Rose')
Cypresses: No.7. Andante Con Moto ('I Lurch Around The House')
Cypresses: No.8. Lento ('Here In The Depths Of The Forest')
Cypresses: No.9. Moderato ('Oh, Dear Soul, Only One')
Cypresses: No. 10. Andante Maestoso ('There Stands An Ancient Rock')
Cypresses: No.11. Allegro Scherzando ('Nature Is Held In Light Sleep')
Cypresses: No.12. Allegro Animato ('You Ask Why My Songs')

Customer Reviews:

Fabulour Lindsay String Quartet Recording.......2003-10-28

This recording is one of the closest to a live performance I've ever heard. Its a must for anyone with curiosity - you don't have to like Janacek, string quartets or even classical music to hear the guts in the performance and sheer conviction. A long time fan of the Lindsays', I heard them play these pieces live in London many years ago at one of the most emotive concerts I've ever been to. The recording takes you on a similar ride - the music is visceral and the playing totally convincing.

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Janacek at white heat
If you like Bartok...
4 interesting pieces from the czech composer

Janácek: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Leos Janácek: Piano Works
Smetana: String Quartets 1 & 2 / From My Homeland
String Quartets 3
Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody
Ives: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-4

ASIN: B0000060D0
Release Date: 1998-05-26

Tracks:

String Quartet No.1, 'Kreutzer Sonata': I. Adagio con moto
String Quartet No.1, 'Kreutzer Sonata': II. Con moto
String Quartet No.1, 'Kreutzer Sonata': III. Con moto: Vivace - Andante
String Quartet No.1, 'Kreutzer Sonata': IV. Con moto: Adagio
String Quartet No.2, 'Intimate Letters': I. Andante con moto - Allegro
String Quartet No.2, 'Intimate Letters': II. Adagio - Vivace
String Quartet No.2, 'Intimate Letters': III. Moderato - Adagio- Allegro
String Quartet No.2, 'Intimate Letters': IV. Allegro - Andante- Adagio
Sonata for Violin and Piano: I. Con moto
Sonata for Violin and Piano: II. Ballada
Sonata for Violin and Piano: III. Allegretto
Sonata for Violin and Piano: IV. Adagio
Pohadka (Fairy Tale) For Cello And Piano: I. Con moto
Pohadka (Fairy Tale) For Cello And Piano: II. Con moto
Pohadka (Fairy Tale) For Cello And Piano: III. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Janacek at white heat.......2003-12-28

This was my first serious venture into Janacek and I wasn't disappointed. Impressive as Dvorak and Smetana's quartets are, frankly Janacek packs more intensity and white heat into his music, and also manages to "push the bounds" of music a little bit more. The Second String Quartet ("Intimate Letters", 1928) was one of his last compositions and represents the full development of his art. Its genesis was tied to his obsessive love affair with the singer Kamila Stosslova, and thus had great personal meaning for him, although unfortunately he died before he could ever hear it performed. As he wrote to her, "I have succeeded in writing a piece in which the earth begins to tremble. Here I can find a place for my most beautiful melodies." Likewise, the ravagingly beautiful First String Quartet ("Kreutzer Sonata", 1923) was inspired by another passionate love story, Leo Tolstoy's tale of love's destructive power. This is electric stuff.

While Janacek was never QUITE as "folksy" as Dvorak, he often dipped into Moravian folk tunes and transposed Slavic-inspired stories into music. The "Pohadka" (Fairy Tale) for cello and piano was based on Russian poet Vassily Zhukovsky's epic poem of the Kashchei, Ruler of the Underworld (Stravinsky later took up this same story in the "Firebird" Suite). Like the Sonata for Violin and Piano, this piece reminded me a lot of Bartok's early adaptations of Hungarian folkmusic, even with the liberal dose of Janacek's distinctive Czech idiom.

This is a lucid and intense performance by the Vlach Quartet. "Budget" be damned. Five stars.

If you like Bartok..........2001-01-02

I'm a Janacek fan with a working cd player, and I certainly haven't got money to burn. I'd just like to proffer a rather more enthusiastic review. First, these works are widely considered to be masterworks in the string quartet repertory. Second, the Vlach Quartet's rendering is in my view excellent, though I don't claim to have heard other performances: certainly, this ensemble has received very good reviews from professional critics. Third, the sound quality is about as good as my working cd player will permit! Nice liner notes, too, and attractive fillers (I mean the violin sonata and the pohadka). In short, an excellent choice for anyone with an eye for a bargain and a taste for hardcore string quartets (late Beethoven, Bartok, Shostakovich, Berg...). And if you like this sort of stuff, maybe you'll also like Purcell's Fantasias, Bach's Cello Suites, Reich's Different Trains, and/or Ram Narayan on sarangi. Though did I hear you say you don't know what a sarangi is?

4 interesting pieces from the czech composer.......2000-12-28

if you're a janacek fan with very little money and a working cd player this may be the disc for you. i'm not overly familiar with the composer's work myself and wouldnt exactly say this disc made me a convert but it is well worth a listen. not exactly my cuppa tea since i generally listen to string quartets when i'm trying to brood over the meaning of life and whatnot but still these are some pleasant, high energy pieces well played by prague's very own vlach quartet. sound recording is alright, it aint mind-blowing but what exactly do you expect for this price?

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Janácek: String Quartets

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Janacek / Novak: String Quartets

ASIN: B00005QD8M
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Str Qt No.1: I. Adagio (Con Moto)
Str Qt No.1: II. Con Moto
Str Qt No.1: III. Con Moto (Vivo. Andante)
Str Qt No.1: IV. Con Moto (Adagio)
Str Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': I. Andante
Str Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': II. Adagio
Str Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': III. Moderato
Str Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': IV. Allegro

Janacek: String Quartets 1 & 2; Wolf: Italian Serenade

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JANACEK AS HE DOESN'T USUALLY SOUND

Janacek: String Quartets 1 & 2; Wolf: Italian Serenade
Hagen Quartet
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Debussy, Ravel, Webern: String Quartets
String Quartets
Beethoven: Great Fugue Op.133/Schubert: String Quintet D.956 [IMPORT]

ASIN: B00000E4EJ
Release Date: 1989-09-05

Tracks:

St Qt No.1: 1. Adagio - Con Moto
St Qt No.1: 2. Con Moto
St Qt No.1: 3. Con Moto - Vivace - Andante - Tempo I
St Qt No.1: 4. Con Moto
St Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': 1. Andante - Con Moto - Allegro
St Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': 2. Adagio - Vivace - Andante - Presto - Allegro - Vivo - Adagio
St Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': 3. Moderato - Adagio - Allegro
St Qt No.2 'Intimate Letters': 4. Allegro - Andante - Con Moto - Adagio - Tempo I
Italian Ser in G, WW XV/3: Molto Vivo

Customer Reviews:

JANACEK AS HE DOESN'T USUALLY SOUND.......2005-10-28

If you are familiar with Janacek's quartets this disc may take you a little aback. Some of the sound-effects, particularly from the leader, are pretty extraordinary. At any rate they are to me, accustomed as I am to the eponymous Janacek Quartet in their recording from the 60's. I am already familiar with the Hagens' work from their outstanding set of the Bartok quartets, and I had always previously thought of Janacek as much the more conservative and traditional composer of the two. In this opinion I had reckoned without the Hagens. These two works are much of a muchness in both expression and construction. They express the seemingly extreme passion of a man in his 60's and 70's for a woman he rarely met and knew principally through correspondence, and the second quartet never actually had its first public performance until after his death at the age of 74. This is not the kind of passion that finds expression to any great extent in poetry, let alone in music, let alone in string quartets. I am that sort of age myself, and I'm quite sure I wouldn't know how to put it across if it were up to me. I was all the more curious, therefore, to hear how a group of ultra-talented youngsters might go about it.

These accounts are not characterised by understatement. Everything, but everything, is hyped from beginning to end. From a glance at the back of the record-box you would get a superficial impression of two quartets in four-movement formats like Haydn's or Brahms's. They are nothing like that even in a `standard' performance. The music is constantly interrupted by passionate expostulations, there are constant changes of tempo apparent even from an outline description, and continuity or fluency in either the structure or the expression seems to be the last thing the composer was after. What I am used to from the Janacek Quartet and from other interpretations is a feeling that the composer has gone quite far enough in this respect and that where there is a sense of normality in the music they should make the most of it. The Hagens on the other hand emphasise every stoppage and interruption to the full, and treat other forceful episodes with the utmost power and emphasis. We have not got far into the first movement of the first quartet before we hear some violin-tone that is, to put it mildly, arresting; and this is the first such incident of many. It would not be logical to find any lack of variety in playing like this, but I think it would be fair to say that the variety is mainly in the sharper and more highly coloured effects rather than in any richer and warmer tones, which do not seem to be how these players hear these pieces.

It all seized me pretty powerfully. The Hagens know what they are about, whether one `agrees' or not with their sense of the music. I've already said that I myself have never had any settled view of how music like this, the wordless expression in sound of a mentality I don't think I quite understand, should be or may be interpreted. At times the music verges on incoherence and even on inarticulacy, and what surely must be the wrong way of doing it is to underplay it. That leaves a pretty fair field wide open, as I have now been made to realise. Am I supposed to `recommend' this disc? Thinking about it, why ever not? If you are open-minded and receptive there's a fair chance you may take to it in a big way. If you are stuffy and middle-of-the-road it will do you good. From any point of view, do what I did not do and sample it first. As a makeweight there is a very good performance of Wolf's Italian serenade, with a lot of bounce in the rhythm and also the right feeling of irony and more-than-meets-the-ear to it, delivered in a quiet and knowing tone. This group will go far.

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you said ...Janacek ?

Janacek: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
Leos Janacek , and Melos Quartet
Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JKFJ
Release Date: 1999-07-13

Customer Reviews:

you said ...Janacek ?.......2005-05-31

Sorry! I'm not a fan of the janacek Quartet
Sorry mr Janacek!

Track Listings: