Brahms: String Quartet in Cm No1, Op51/1; String Quartet in Am No2, Op51/2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The three string quartets of Brahms are really problematic works. Like Mozart's late quartets, they tend to be overwritten. The composer worked so hard trying to establish an absolute equality of discourse among the parts that the pieces tend to sound thick and heavy. In his string quintets and sextets (again like Mozart), the presence of an extra player or two allowed Brahms to indulge in his love of rich textures without forcing. This means the great performances of the quartets need to keep the textures open and light, and the rhythm firm. The Alban Berg Quartet understands this problem well, and offers propulsive, committed renditions that make the best possible case for the music. --David Hurwitz

Brahms: String Quartet in Cm No1, Op51/1; String Quartet in Am No2, Op51/2, Music, Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorak, Alban Berg Quartet, Chamber, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Quartet for Four String Instruments

Average customer rating:

Dvorak string quartet op 106

Excellent CD, no liner notes :(

An intimate utterance of genius

Brahms' Quartets Among His Most "Modern" Works

Brahms: String Quartet in Cm No1, Op51/1; String Quartet in Am No2, Op51/2

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Alban Berg String Quartet | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet

Haydn: String Quartets Op 20 /Quatuor Mosaïques

Beethoven: Die Späten Klaviersonaten

Mozart: The Six String Quintets

ASIN: B000000SOB
Release Date: 1994-09-06

Tracks:

String Quartet In C Minor, Op.51 No.1: Allegro
String Quartet In C Minor, Op.51 No.1: Romanze: Poco Adagio
String Quartet In C Minor, Op.51 No.1: Allegretto molto moderato e comode. Un poco piu animato
String Quartet In C Minor, Op.51 No.1: Allegro
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 51 No.2: Allegro non troppo
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 51 No.2: Andante moderato
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 51 No.2: Quasi Minuetto, moderato. Allegretto vivace
String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 51 No.2: Finale: Allegro non assai

Tracks:

String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 67: Vivace
String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 67: Andante
String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 67: Agitato (Allegro non troppo)
String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 67: Poco Allegretto con Variazioni. Doppio Movimento
String Quartet In G Major, Op. 106: Allegro moderato
String Quartet In G Major, Op. 106: Adagio ma non troppo
String Quartet In G Major, Op. 106: Molto vivace
String Quartet In G Major, Op. 106: Finale: Andante sostenuto. Allegro con fuoco

Amazon.com

The three string quartets of Brahms are really problematic works. Like Mozart's late quartets, they tend to be overwritten. The composer worked so hard trying to establish an absolute equality of discourse among the parts that the pieces tend to sound thick and heavy. In his string quintets and sextets (again like Mozart), the presence of an extra player or two allowed Brahms to indulge in his love of rich textures without forcing. This means the great performances of the quartets need to keep the textures open and light, and the rhythm firm. The Alban Berg Quartet understands this problem well, and offers propulsive, committed renditions that make the best possible case for the music. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Dvorak string quartet op 106.......2006-08-02

I bought this CD for the Alban Berg interpretation of Dvorak Op 106. Many years ago I had taped this work from an Alban Berg concert broadcast by the BBC, & fell in love with it. It's absolutely lovely, emotional, calming music that turned out to be ideal for long car journeys with small children.
I actually prefer the immediacy of the live concert recording to this CD's studio recording. Now if the BBC could be persuated to release that...
The only other performance of the Dvorak that I have found on CD leaves me cold.
*** Why is this superb performance ignored in the CD's contents list? ***

Excellent CD, no liner notes :(.......2005-02-05

To the best of my knowledge this 2 CD set of the Brahms string quartets done by the Alban Berg Quartett is of the finest currently available. The players show a balance and timbre that is gorgeous and sumptuous without being overbearing. True panache and class are quite radiant in this recording. For the virtuosic playing it's worth the very reasonable price.

My only reason for a 4-star rating is that the CD set comes without liner notes: a very minor thing when just taking the time to enjoy the music. But for some of us who feel that they need a little background info as to what was going on in the composer's life or perhaps his actual reason for writing the music, it is completely lacking.

Like I said though, it's worth the money you spend for it and I still highly recommend it. You'll just have to find another source to retrieve background info.

Now if only Sony would re-release the Juilliard Quartet performing these same string quartets.

An intimate utterance of genius.......2000-11-22

Brahm's 1st quartet is among the most beautiful, and intimate, works for string quartet. It is markedly distinct from those of Schubert and Beethoven in certain respects, and it is in this that makes it successful. The mood is distilled Brahms, yet we do not find the elemental forces at work here. Instead we find the reflective, particularly in the 3rd movement which is immediately involving and essentially transcendent if you permit my use of such a vague term. The Alban Berg Quartet are very successful in interpreting Brahms here, and they can be recommended without reservation, as can the quartets for any who long for the tranquil genius of Brahms not to be found in his symphonic output.

Brahms' Quartets Among His Most "Modern" Works.......2000-02-15

There's no "problem" here, unless the listener is timid. These are gorgeous quartets. Unlike Schubert's beautiful late quartets, the melodic lines in Brahms' quartets are not clean and sharp, but they make up for it with a harmonic richness that is simply intoxicating. In fact, Brahms' innovativeness in the "vertical" element of harmony makes these quartets his most "modern" works, a short step from the early quartets of Bartok and Schoenberg. Such company may put some listeners off, but for me, these Brahms quartets rival Beethoven's.

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