Bartok: String Quartets 1, 3, & 4

1. String Quartet, No. 1 in A Minor, Sz. 40, BB 52 (Op. 7)
Composed by Bela Bartok

2. String Quartet, No. 3 in C sharp Major, Sz. 85, BB 93
Composed by Bela Bartok

3. String Quartet, No. 4 in C Major, Sz. 91, BB 93
Composed by Bela Bartok

Bartok: String Quartets 1, 3, & 4,Bela Bartok,Channel Classics,Chamber,Classical,Classical Music,Quartet for Four String Instruments

Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet
Average customer rating:

Compositions: Outstanding! Performance: Mixed.

Great technique but little soul

Brilliant playing, but lacking color and flavor

The Bartok Cycle at its Best

As usual, the Emerson's just don't get it

Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet
Eugene Drucker , Lawrence Dutton , David Finckel , Philip Setzer , and Emerson String Quartet
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Shostakovich: The String Quartets

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Shostakovich: The String Quartets

ASIN: B000001G9O
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7: 1. Lento - attacca
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7: 2. Poco e poco accelerande all' Allegretto - Introduzione. Allegro 0 attacca
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7: 3. Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 3: 1. Prima Parte: Moderato - attacca
String Quartet No. 3: 2. Seconda parte: Allegro - attacca: Ricapitulazione della prima parte; Moderato
String Quartet No. 3: 3. Coda: Allegro molto
String Quartet No. 5: 1. Alllegro
String Quartet No. 5: 2. Adagio molto
String Quartet No. 5: 3. Scherzo: Alla bulgarese
String Quartet No. 5: 4. Andante
String Quartet No. 5: 5. Finale: Allegro vivace

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17: 1. Moderato
String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17: 2. Allegro molto capriccioso
String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17: 3. Lento
String Quartet No. 4: 1. Allegro
String Quartet, No. 4: 2. Prestissimo, con sordino
String Quartet, No. 4: 3. Non troppo lento
String Quartet, No. 4: 4. Allegretto pizzicato
String Quartet, No. 4: 5. Allegro molto
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 1. Mesto-piu mosso, pensante - Vivace
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 2. Mesto - Marcia
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 3. Mesto - Burletta
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 4. Mesto

Amazon.com

The six quartets of Bartók have been well represented on record, far better than the six of Schoenberg or the fifteen of Shostakovich. The choice on Compact Disc, however, is an easy one, for the Emerson Quartet not only plays the music better than any other ensemble, but gets all six essays onto two discs. Making roses out of what must seem more like a collection of thistles to most others who attempt to play the set, the Emerson players show the kind of ensemble polish that caused one European critic to complain, "too smooth.... I like my Bartók rougher." But awkwardness and rhythmic uncertainty, which have made many a lesser group sound rough in this music, should not be confused with expressive edge, which the Emersons bring to the music in full measure. Their readings are extraordinarily revealing, high-intensity, not at all for the faint of heart. With the odd-numbered quartets on one disc and the even on the other, each CD is a "microcosmos" of the whole set. The sound quality is excellent throughout. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Compositions: Outstanding! Performance: Mixed........2007-06-05

One reviewer said that Emerson wasn't rough enough. When this was released, I believe it was the roughest interpretation I had ever heard! Over-all, these are very good performances (and 100% accurate). The weakness of these performances is the gentler sections which, though technically perfect, lack feeling and conviction. Béla Bartók: The Six String Quartets - Juilliard String Quartet does a very good job of the quiet sections, but lacks power on the aggressive parts.

My favorite recording of these pieces is Bartók: 6 String Quartets by the Hungarian String Quartet. Since I bought that I haven't listened to other recordings of this piece.

Great technique but little soul.......2007-05-12

The Emersons blow through Bartok's most difficult passages with masterly aplomb; their virtuosity is never in question, and if you were not already familiar with these works you might think these performances were definitive. Bartok, however had a mysterious and lyrical side to him, and the Emersons don't illuminate those remarkable moments in these performances. I constantly get the impression that the Emersons are determined not to let Bartok push them around. They manhandle him masterfully, throwing him to the ground and leaving him in the gutter. Bartok deserves more sympathy than that. With the Emersons it is the bravura playing that will give you goose bumps, not Bartok's dark visions.

Brilliant playing, but lacking color and flavor.......2007-01-03

I've had this album for several years and have played it often, but I have come to be less than satisfied because of the lack of tone color in these performances. Bartok was, among other things, a Hungarian nationalist composer and a colorist. For me, these performances do not reflect the full color and nationalistic flavor that other performances have shown.

The Bartok Cycle at its Best.......2006-08-17

This cycle won 2 Grammophone Awardsin 1989 for Record of the Year and Best Chamber Music Performance, and 2 Grammys in 1990 for Best Classical Recording and Best Chamber Music Performance. After listening to them it is easy to see why. Bartok's string quartets have never sounded better. The closest rivals for my ears is the Takacs performances which I also own and love.

Enough has been written regarding their technical skills. In these, as in many other of their albums, they also provide us with an insightful interpretation.

Highly recommended.

As usual, the Emerson's just don't get it.......2006-02-09

Yes, they play very well, they are always in tune, and they can play as fast as they choose - but they don't understand the music. If you want a great version of these works, take a listen to the Hungarian Quartet on DG, or the Tokyo Quartet on RCA.

Béla Bartók: The 6 String Quartets - Takács Quartet

Average customer rating:

go for Tokyo
Spectacular
Lacklustre insight ... airbrushed production.
The third way.
Finally, they get it

Béla Bartók: The 6 String Quartets - Takács Quartet
Edward Dusinberre , Andras Fejer , Karoly Schranz , Roger Tapping , and Takács Quartet
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000042GU
Release Date: 1998-01-13

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 1, op. 7 (Sz 40): I. Lento
String Quartet No. 1, op. 7 (Sz 40): II. Poco a poco accelerando all'allegretto
String Quartet No. 1, op. 7 (Sz 40): III. Introduzione Allegro - Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 3(Sz 85): I. Prima parte: Moderato
String Quartet No. 3(Sz 85): II. Seconda Parte: Allegro
String Quartet No. 3(Sz 85): III. Ricapitulazione della prima parte: Moderato - Coda: Allegro molto
String Quartet No. 5 (Sz 85): I. Allegro
String Quartet No. 5 (Sz 85): II. Adagio molto
String Quartet No. 5 (Sz 85): III. Scherzo. Alla bulgarese -- Trio
String Quartet No. 5 (Sz 85): IV. Andante
String Quartet No. 5 (Sz 85): V. Finale: Allegro vivace -- Presto

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 2, op. 17 (Sz 67): I. Moderato
String Quartet No. 2, op. 17 (Sz 67): II. Allegro molto capriccioso
String Quartet No. 2, op. 17 (Sz 67): III. Lento
String Quartet No. 4, (Sz 91): I. Allegro
String Quartet No. 4, (Sz 91): II. Prestissimo, con sordino
String Quartet No. 4, (Sz 91): III. Non troppo lento
String Quartet No. 4, (Sz 91): IV. Allegretto pizzicato
String Quartet No. 4, (Sz 91): V. Allegro molto
String Quartet No. 6 (Sz 114): I. Mesto - Piso, pesante - Vivace
String Quartet No. 6 (Sz 114): II. Mesto - Marcia
String Quartet No. 6 (Sz 114): III. Mesto - Burletta: Moderato
IV. Mesto

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

If chamber music suggests merely sedate and timid pleasures, let the Takács Quartet guide you through the profound experience that this medium can convey--above all in the hands of a composer as rich in imagination and innovative in temperament as Béla Bartók. In some ways his cycle of string quartets traces not only his personal creative evolution but the deeply tragic zeitgeist of half a century as well. The Takács Quartet plays with an unfaltering sense for the lifeblood of this music in performances that are both gutsy and ethereal. --Thomas May

Amazon.com essential recording

Béla Bartók has emerged as one of the few modern masters who continue to be regularly performed and recorded. The six string quartets that span his career from 1908 to 1939 are generally regarded as this century's unsurpassed addition to the medium, and they provide an intimate entrée into the world of their withdrawn and enigmatic composer. With this cycle, the Takács Quartet confirms its reputation, against some very fierce competition, as possibly the most cogent, exciting exponent of this music today. They achieve an unusually successful synthesis of the quartets' polarizing components: lyrically haunting "night music," passages of grotesquely ironic humor, and, in the Sixth Quartet, an unrelentingly pervasive sense of desolation and farewell. In the process, the Takács players give visceral life to the extremities of technique Bartók's scores demand. These range from exaggerated glissandi to pizzicati made to snap violently against the fingerboard, at times producing a sound more akin to a percussion battery than a string quartet. The ensemble convincingly traverses Bartók's creative evolution, from the hothouse romanticism of the First Quartet to the Third's densely packed modernist fury and the palindrome structures of the Fourth and Fifth Quartets. Richly nuanced with local color, these accounts are among the best available on disc and will likely become standard-setters. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

go for Tokyo.......2006-08-28

Bartok is not a likely candidate for frequent recordings in the 21st century. Before it is too late you should acquire the Tokyo version on RCA (including the Janacek quartets). Besides being a bargain (2 composers for the price of 1), you get passionate playing and sound that is excellent. Do not be swayed by anyone who says Decca (inventor of the "tree" after all) knows how to record anything. It does depend on your speakers (headphones). I have owned systems on which the Tokyo String Quartet did not sound good. Well, this is about the Takacs. They are relatively bloodless (do any of you really hear passion in this recording?). There are many who would say that that's the way Bartok should sound. But the Tokyo is like Heffler and Mikrokosmos--he sounds much better than Ranki whether or not he's authentic.

Spectacular.......2006-01-31

I bought this CD in preparation for the Takacs Quartet's performance of the Bartok cycle in January of 2005. This recording is absolutely amazing, and it brings out the liveliness and the joy that the members of the Quartet take in playing this piece. Now, make sure you get the chance to see this group live; you will be amazed and astounded by their cohesiveness and energy.

Lacklustre insight ... airbrushed production. .......2005-11-01

A medium to large hall ambience smooths & smudges it all. An inappropriate production decision for these quartets.
The playing lacks the emotional concentration & forensic insight needed - they have their moments but overall it just doesn't involve you like it should. The overall effect is of an airbrushed quality - the result is lacklustre.
I grew up on the landmark 1960's Juilliard readings, so you may know where I'm coming from, and what I expect to hear. It so happens that is what works best for this music, which is why those are legendary performance recordings.
After that these fall very far short. As Sony are still not re-releasing those classics, buy the Emerson Qt. recordings instead - they are of a similar quality to - and in the spirit of - the Juilliard's reading.

The third way........2005-10-04

I've recently bought this cycle, after having or listening those by Tokyo String Quartet (DG & RCA), Hagen Quartett (DG), Alban Berg Quartett (EMI), Vegh Qt (Auvidis) and some other versions played by outstanding quartets, like the glorius Arditti Quartet's recording of the Fourth Quartet in Grammavision label.

If I'm thinking about a third way is because Takács shows a middle interpretation between the very hungarian performings of the Vegh Qt and the very "international" or "western" playing of the Tokyo Qt, ABQ or Hagen Qt versions. The Takács Quartet that play in this CD box is formed by musicians from the western tradition and hungarian born players, 50%; something you can feel in their interpretation, which is a bit more objective than Takács' first recording released by Hungaroton, with more hungarian players in the quartet, but still with the taste of the hungarian Bartók tradition, much more close to the popular and folk reminiscences of his music.

I don't hear in this performings the amazing precision of the Tokyo String Quartet in every pizzicatti, glissandi, or technical resource of the works; but, on the other hand, I can say that the musicality and folk sense of some parts it's better done in this Decca recording, which looks much more to the origin of some chords in the folk hungarian music which Bartók so deep has studied. Takács (Decca) bring a more aggressive version, something that makes very complex to have the precision of the more refine and "distant" Tokyo performings. Anyway, technically it's marvellous too, and that's the reason why I give them 4 stars... 5 stars only in heaven...

The conclusion is we are listening a very good performances of the cycle, in style and technique, one of the key works in this genre along the XXth Century; probably between the better.

Finally, they get it.......2005-08-31

Bartok has been called many things, but one thing I wish he would be called more often is a mystic of music. In my over-educated opinion, that is what he was, and that dominated him as a composer, a pianist, an ethnomusicologist and a pedagogue. The problem is that many performers come to this music very naive or, worse, dismissive of this quality of Bartok's genius, and focus too heavily on technical apsects. The result is obvious: a failure to give a proper and authentic voice to the music.

I am sympathetic to the dilemma of any performer tackling these quartets - these are very demanding on a technical level alone. But this does not mean their beauty resides purely in that facet, nor does it excuse any performer for rendering these as a technical or academic exercise. Suffice to say, some performers just don't "get it," and thus ought not attempt these works, if they are not able to met the technical challenge they present and then transcend it in spirit to articulate their fuller beauty.

As a musician who's studied Bartok academically, I am very aware on an intellectual level of how these works relate to Bartok's studies in folk music, and I can easily pick out and analyze his inversions and sequences of folk motifs that populate these works. However, all too often this is something not easily *heard* by the average listener - a tragic irony, seeing much of Bartok's work is so rooted in folk music, which is possibly the most accessible of music idioms. Sadly, this is a mystic's lot: they experience something that is univerally accessible, yet in the process of articulating that experience, those first recieving the message miss the point, get destracted by superficial details, and obscure the beauty and truth of the mystic's message for everyone else. Luckily, music can speak for itself - if the performer doesn't get in the way. So if the performer understands, either consciously or intuitively, that there is a *heart* to these works beyond what he sees written so precisely and techinically on the page (i.e. "gets it"), and strives to articulate this, then that engimatic mysicism of Bartok is unlocked and becomes readily accessible to anyone willing to peer into it.

Fortunately and thankfully, the Takacs Quartet "get it." This is very likely the finest performance of these quartets ever recorded. Without repeating too much of what other reviewers have already said, there is a very genuine spirit and superior command to the Takacs Quartet's performance that makes the very challenging and highly technical quality of these quartets transparent so to reveal, rather than obscure, Bartok's vision. They open up Bartok's quartets in a rare way that allow the listener to "live" inside them, and glaze readily upon their beauty, possibly very closely to how Bartok originally envisioned it. I listened to this recording immediately after listening the 1960's recording by the Novak Quartet, and the difference was astounding. It only vindicated my long standing opinion that Bartok was indeed a mystic of music, and that his unique and very challenging compositions offer much, much more (and for a wider audience) than one might assume from a less inspired performance.

Absolutey, unequivocally recommended.

Béla Bartók: The Six String Quartets - Juilliard String Quartet

Average customer rating:

Compositions: Outstanding! Performance: Mixed.
Doesn't compare to the 1963 Juilliard version
Beautiful music, poor rendition
Julliard interprets Bartok's works excellently
a neoclassical reading at a bargain price

Béla Bartók: The Six String Quartets - Juilliard String Quartet
Robert Mann , Earl Carlyss , Joel Krosnick , Samuel [viola] Rhodes , and Juilliard String Quartet
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000029YN
Release Date: 1997-11-18

Tracks:

The Six String Quartets: String Quartet No.1, Op.7 - Lento - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Allegretto - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Allegro Vivace - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: String Quartet No.2, Op.17 - Moderato - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Allegro Molto Capriccioso - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Lento - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: String Quartett No.3 - Prima Parte: Moderato - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Seconda Parte: Allegro - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Ricapitulazione Della Prima Parte: Moderato - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Coda: Allegro Molto - Bartok
The Six String Quartets: String Quartet No.4 - Allegro - Bartok

Tracks:

The Six String Quartets: String Quartet No. 4 - Prestissimo, Con Sordino - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Non Troppo Lento - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Allegretto Pizzicato - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Allegro Molto - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: String Quartet No. 5 - Allegro - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Adagio Molto - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Scherzo - Alla Bulgarese - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Andante - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Finale - Allegro Vivace - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: String Quartet No. 6 - Mesto- Vivace - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Mesto - Marcia - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Mesto - Burletta - Moderato - Bela Bartok
The Six String Quartets: Mesto - Bela Bartok

Amazon.com essential recording

The Juilliard Quartet burst upon the international musical scene in the 1950s with a series of acclaimed performances of the six Bartók string quartets. Five decades later they are still renowned for their performances of this music, and no one interested in this superb group can afford to pass up this set, digitally recorded in 1981 and now available at budget price. These quartets have been very frequently recorded over the years, but few more recent versions match the Juilliard in terms of both interpretive and technical excellence. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Compositions: Outstanding! Performance: Mixed........2007-06-04

These are great pieces of music and the Juilliard Quartet performs the slow movements beautifully. The fast movements are accurate, but lacking impact. The recording quality is fairly good. Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet does a better job of the fast movements, but not as well on the slow movements. I would recommend the Hungarian String Quartet Bartók: 6 String Quartets recording instead.

P.S. I saw the Juilliard String Quartet perform Bartok's 5th string quartet in 2005 and it was phenomenal. I'm just reviewing the recording here, not today's quartet!

Doesn't compare to the 1963 Juilliard version.......2003-11-11

It is a shame that the 1981 Juilliard cycle has been the only available Juilliard cycle for some time, because it is by far the weakest of the three. Sure, it is a relatively cheap CD set, but I don't really feel it is worth the money. The playing, compared to the Juilliard's incomparable 1963 recording, is positively anemic. The sound quality also leaves a lot to be desired. Overall, this is an unsatisfying listening experience.

If you want the 1963 Juilliard version, good luck. It is available only as an import, and is generally a challenge to acquire. The same can be said of the Alban Berg Quartett cycle. Probably the best domestically available version would be the Emerson Quartet's cycle.

Some people may be thinking that they are getting the 1963 version with this CD set. Don't be fooled --- this version is significantly inferior and should definitely not be your first choice.

Beautiful music, poor rendition.......2003-08-06

It has been said that Bartok's string quartets together are the best thing to happen to classical music since Beethoven's string quartets. There are many wonderful quartets out there performing these quartets, but this recording by the Juilliard Quartet just doesn't rank up there. I swear by the Emerson Quartet's rendition on Deutsche Grammophon which has wonderful recording quality and an amazing performance. I've heard the Takacs Quartet live and they indeed have their own wonderful way of interpreting the music that's different from the Emerson Quartet. I'd recommend either quartet's work heartily over the Juilliard's version, which is thin, lifeless, and simply unsatisfying. Don't think you're saving money -- you'll just end up buying one of the better versions anyway!

Julliard interprets Bartok's works excellently.......2002-12-10

There are better interpretations of these seminal works available -- Takacs Quartet and Emerson Quartet do excellent versions, I'm told -- but for someone on a budget who would love to hear six great, innovative string quartets, you can't beat this disc.

A two-disc set recorded in 1981 by the famed Julliard String Quartet, this collection takes what are considered by many to be the finest string quartets ever written and gives them a clear, beautiful interpretation. While the first two (and last) quartets are quiet and contemplative, things get really exciting in the middle portion, with 3, 4 and 5 bristling with energy and tension. This is "modern" classical at its finest.

Julliard shows why Bartok was such a revered composer. If you want to go all out and get the aforementioned Takacs or Emerson versions, I'm sure you'll be sonically rewarded. But two excellent discs for under $15 is a great deal.

a neoclassical reading at a bargain price.......2001-08-16

Bartok composed the great string quartet cycle of the early 20th century. Of the various available recordings, this Juilliard from 1981 has one obvious advantage -- it's cheaper. By all means, listen, it's a fine version, but you'll never know what you're missing if you don't hear the Takacs Quartet's "gypsy" version!

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th quartets are sheer modernist genius. The 1st and 2nd are less innovative -- the 1st is in the romantic tradition. The 6th is calm and tragic, written as Bartok prepared to leave Hungary for the USA.

Here are some comparisons between the Juilliard and Takacs recordings -- an advantage of the Juilliard is that the quartets are in order, while the Takacs changes the order. The resulting disadvantage of the Juilliard is that #4 is split. The Juilliard has perfunctory liner notes, while the Takacs has superb, extensive liner notes describing each piece and how it was written. As for the music, these are very different interpretations. The Juilliard Quartet sounds quite neoclassical -- light, even thin, restrained, and emphasizing the ensemble more than individual lines. In dramatic contrast, the Takacs Quartet sounds rougher, earthier, "gypsy" -- they are heavier, thicker, more passionate, and sound more like four individuals playing together than a unified ensemble. So far, a matter of interpretation. Both are valid, and the differences highlight the rich potential of the scores. BUT, there is a serious problem with the Juilliard, and that is why I give it only 4 stars -- the recording seems to slight the bass end, with a faint cello. The Juilliard recording of Carter's quartets doesn't suffer from this problem, and so I have to conclude that the problem is in the recording, not the playing. The recording of the Takacs disc is superb and balanced, and is probably partly responsible for the sound of four distinct lines.

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 7: 1. Lento
String Quartet No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 7: 2. Allegretto
String Quartet No. 1 In A Minor, Op. 7: 3. Introduzione. Allegro - Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 3: Prima parte. Moderato
String Quartet No. 3: Seconda parte. Allegro
String Quartet No. 3: Ricapitolazione della prima parte. Moderato
String Quartet No. 3: Coda. Allegro molto
String Quartet No. 5: 1. Allegro
String Quartet No. 5: 2. Adagio molto
String Quartet No. 5: 3. Scherzo
String Quartet No. 5: 4. Andante
String Quartet No. 5: 5. Finale

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 17: Moderato
String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 17: Allegro molto capriccioso
String Quartet No. 2 In A Minor, Op. 17: Lento
String Quartet No. 4: 1. Allegro
String Quartet No. 4: 2. Prestissimo, con sordino
String Quartet No. 4: 3. Non troppo lento
String Quartet No. 4: 4. Allegretto pizzicato
String Quartet No. 4: 5. Allegro molto
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 1. Mesto -Vivace
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 2. Mesto - Marcia
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 3. Mesto - Burletta. Moderato
STRING QUARTET NO. 6: 4. Mesto

Customer Reviews:

Adequate but not stirring.......2006-10-09

One has to respect any quartet that can deliver decent performances of these difficult works, but I can't say that this performance rises above merely adequate. The recording is lacking in clarity, but the real problem is the performance. Rhythmically hazy, texturally obscure and with only mediocre ensemble, my search for a good version of these quartets continues.

Very consistent, from start to finish over 2 CD's.......2006-04-17

The strength of this 2 CD release, is the CONSISTENT
style, audio quality, mood from start to finish.

There are 6 compositions on this release, lasting
well almost 2 hours.

This release definitively shows the composer's
ability to exude the moody and dark emotions that
humans can go through, at times. And to be exposed
to such an audio experience for well over an hour,
at very high audio quality, with the full "aching"
of the wood instruments to reflect on one's emotions
is exceptional and unique.

I feel these compositions are unique, in that sense...
they take the listener to a mental and emotional landscape
where the listener is very much alive, yet very much
aware of the sad emotions that are shown, which is
totally different to other music, that often is nihilist,
negative, self-destructive which is totally unrelated to
this work.

As such, much like a physical wound is medically damaged
and on the mend, these 2 CD's offer a musical experience
that is rich in sound and vitality, yet painful to listen
in its beauty.

Great music, OK performance.......2000-11-22

There is no question, at least in my mind, that the 20th century master of the string quartet was Bela Bartok. The remarkable thing to note is that Bartok did not even play strings! He was a virtuosic pianist. So how does someone who doesn't even play strings end up with a technique named after him (The Bartok Pizzicato)? The man was a genius, that's all I can say.

These quartets should appeal to a broad base of listeners, especially today. I think that more teens would be into "classical music" if they were introduced to these quartets (especially those into "heavy metal") and realized the potential of the medium. Our ears are much less sensitive to dissonance than they were when these debuted, so most people should be fairly comfortable with the material. Perhaps not on the first listen, but after a little exposure.

This particular performance, however, I have found rather lacking. It just doesn't grab me. It seems to be a rather cold interpretation that lacks any spirit (in material where it abounds!). I don't like the sonic quality of the recording either -- it sounds very flat and one-dimensional.

Customer Reviews:

Milestone recordings!.......2006-12-27

The music of Bartok (1881-1945) is original, exciting, mysterious. Around his music nothing is superfluous, incidental, emotional; everything is sturdy, supported by a forceful energy. The process of link of each phrase or section seems to be product of an organic approach.

For many listeners Bartok `s String Quartets is an enormous wasteland. Like Shstakovich, Bartok opens his soul in this genre because there is major creative liberty and universes to explore.

This 1954cycle was released on commercially under Angel label in the U.S. and the French Columbia on three LPs But thanks to Music& Arts efforts the rescue of this important historical document has been possible.

It is always worthy to remark the presence of the exhaustive energy of Sandor Vegh, an exceptional music who surmounted the conventional barriers of the musical interpretation to get into in the great luminaries and established several landmark recordings as member of the Hungarian, Vegh quartet and finally as conductor of the Salzburg Mozarteum's Camerata Academica (from 1978 to 1997).

To classify the artistic quality and the performance level of these recordings would be simply unsurpassable, not only by the performances by themselves but the idiomatic expression, the ethos and gestalt which were played.

Since I got this double album, it's my favorite choice at the moment to enjoy and travel by this universe.

Average customer rating:

Total Bartok

Bartok: Complete String Quartets

Manufacturer: Naive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000059OBK
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Customer Reviews:

Total Bartok.......2003-02-21

I don't know what else to say. I have never felt so completely involved in this music (the Takacs recording comes very close, with state of the art sound -- I'm glad to have both sets). Listening to these quartets in sequence -- the 3 disks permit a chronological progression -- is a revelation, as one moves from the romantacism of the First Quartet to the final, elegaic Sixth. The 2nd disk contains the thorniest works: quartets 3 and 4. Listening to them together, as played by the Vegh Quartet, I sensed the distillation of all that can be expressed in music within these highly concentrated forms. Yet these are earthy, swaggering performances at the same time -- physically and intellectually stimulating.

"Now, even potted palms might rejoice
to hear this counterpoint, these lambent chords.
The infinitely baffled speakers voice
a heart-to-heart that leaves me wanting words."

Tracks:

No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7: Lento
No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7: Allegretto (Allegro)
No. 3: Prima parte; Moderato
No. 3: econda parte; Ricapitulazione della prima parte (Moderato)
No. 3: Coda; Allegro molto
No. 5: Allegro
No. 5: Adagio molto
No. 5: Scherzo
No. 5: Andante
No. 5: Finale )Allegro vivace)

Tracks:

No. 2 in A minor, Op. 17: Moderato
No. 2 in A minor, Op. 17: Allegro molto capriccioso
No. 2 in A minor, Op. 17: Lento
No. 4: Allegro
No. 4: Prestissimo, con sordino
No. 4: Non troppo lento
No. 4: Allegretto pizzicato
No. 4: Allegro molto
No. 6: Mesto; Vivace
No. 6: Mesto; Marcia
No. 6: Mesto; Burletta (moderato)
No. 6: Mesto

Amazon.com

Bartók's quartets are regarded by many as the greatest since Beethoven's. Like his, they span the composer's creative life, and though they are not presented in chronological order here, Bartók's changing styles and compositional development are clearly apparent, as is the motivic connection between them. They have become part of the mainstream repertoire, and for this, much of the credit must go to the Juilliard Quartet, formed at the Juilliard School of Music in 1946, which in 1949 presented the complete cycle publicly in New York for the first time. As artists-in-residence and members of the faculty, the players always championed contemporary composers, particularly Bartók, and have instilled that attitude in generations of young musicians.

This monaural recording was made in 1950 by the group's founding members (a stereo version was made later, after two personnel changes) and it is superb. The young players' technical, intellectual, and emotional command of these extremely difficult, problematic works is astounding. Bartók's musical language, so closely tied to his native Hungarian idiom, seems to come to them naturally. They handle his complicated, constantly changing rhythms with consummate ease and bring out the character and the wildly contrasting moods and emotions of the music with deeply felt expressiveness, from the obsessive dances--unbridled but always controlled--to the heartbreaking lamentations of the last quartet, written on the eve of World War II. Listeners familiar only with the group's later constellations of players may be surprised at the purity, warmth, and homogeneity of its sound (the two violinists are almost indistinguishable), and at the moderate, expansive tempos, despite the Quartet's reputation for speed and high-voltage tension, allowing time and repose to give loving attention to details and expression to every note.

The booklet contains two errors: Jenö Léner was a Hungarian violinist who led his own string quartet; the violist of the Kolisch Quartet, dedicatees of Bartók's sixth quartet, was Eugene Lehner, coach and mentor to innumerable young groups. The clarinetist who recorded Bartók's "Contrasts" with Robert Mann must be Stanley Drucker, principal of the New York Philharmonic. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Invaluable performances!.......2005-11-23

The artistic commitment of Bela Bartok is absolutely extraordinary. His architectural sense, his deep concerns about the man and the cosmos has been never best expressed but through his Quartets Cycle. There is certain superficiality when it is affirmed he is an atonal composer. That statement is apparent; his inspiration arises from a fantastic melting of Hungarian folk music, but also a cosmic gaze. There is fullness and grandness extremely hard to put in words context. In this sense his concerns are very similar respect Bruckner; that is why the outer space inspiration certainly, does not reveal human motives and a total breakthrough with the ancient musical forms.

If you want to get close to Bartok 's world, please acquire this invaluable set, that remains just two echelons bellow both versions of Vegh Quartet; the most recent version of the Paris cycle in 1954 (My first choice, by far, from Music and Arts) and the other (Auvidis).

Juilliard's Masterly Bartok.......2005-04-12

Congratulations to Pearl for this seminal Bartok set, and to Edith Eisler for her illuminating Amazon editorial review. I heard the Juilliard perform the 3rd Quartet at Jordan Hall (Boston) in 1971, and it was simply spellbinding. The players at that time were comprised of Robert Mann & Earl Carlyss (violins), Samuel Rhodes (viola) and Claus Adam on cello. This pioneering 1950 set from Pearl has the Juilliard's original personnel (Mann and Robert Koff, with violist Raphael Hillyer and cellist Arthur Winograd), while their 1963 stereo recording featured Mann and Isidore Cohen (violins) with Hillyer and Adam. There was also a 1981 set, but it was a sadly-anemic shadow of these earlier recordings. The 1963 version was briefly available on CD as a Sony import - it is urgently in need of re-issue.

In the notes that came with my 1963 Columbia LPs (I missed out on the Sony CD), author James Goodfriend observes that " ... The mystique of the string quartet is twofold. In the first place, it must be classically controlled and balanced. In the second, it must express the composer's inmost feelings. The relation between a quartet and a symphony, for example, is much like that of poetry and prose: they may each say similar things, but the former must say it with fewer words and with greater restrictions. The great quartet writers of the past were Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert (significantly, none of the later romantics can be cited), and in our own century, the six Bartok quartets form quite possibly the only set worthy to stand in such company." I agree. And perhaps terse and verse rhyme for a reason.

While there are many worthy competitors here, such as the proficient but emotionally-reserved Emerson Quartet and the more rustic-sounding Takacs, for me the Juilliard plumbs the inner fire of these works like no other ensemble. In 1950 they play with greater repose (slower and more meditative), while in 1963 their cat-like agility and dynamic precision are without parallel. Both sets are essential listening.

Works of burning joy and lonely desolation,
Quartets mirror all of Bartok's obsessions,
The Juilliard's way is profound revelation,
Let it be one of your prized possessions.

Jeff Lipscomb

Average customer rating:

Magnificent music. More or less playing
Compositions: Outstanding! Performance: Mediocre
Tough music with warmth
Great performance for a great value
Middling Performances In Good Sound

Bartók: String Quartets (Complete)

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Dvorák: String Quartets Opp. 96 "American" and 106
Piano Quintets
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Schoenberg: The String Quartets
Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin; Hungarian Peasant Songs; Rumanian Folk Dances

ASIN: B0008JEKD6
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Tracks:

I. Lento/Attacca
II. Poco A Poco Accelerando
III. Introduzione/Allegro/Attacca/Allegro Vivace
Prima Parte: Moderato/Attacca
Seconda Parte: Allegro/Attacca
Ricapitulazione Della Prima Parte: Moderato/Coda: Allegro Molto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio Molto
III. Scherzo
IV. Andante
V. Finale: Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

I. Moderato
II. Allegro Molto Capriccioso
III. Lento
I. Allegro
II. Prestissimo, Con Sordino
III. Non Troppo Lento
IV. Allegretto Pizzicato
V. Allegro Molto
I. Mesto/Piu Mosso, Prsante/Vivace
II. Mesto/Marcia
III. Mesto/Burletta
IV. Mesto

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent music. More or less playing.......2007-07-08

Bela Bartók was one of the most important composers of the first half of the twentieth century . The quartets he composed are the most significant part of a work of very high importance. These quartets With the Quartets of Schoenberg , Berg and Webern show us that the first half of the last century was the golden age of the Quartet of Strings. With the quartets of Debussy and Ravel these period was really comparable with the Viennese Period of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert.
The first and the last quartet Bartók wrote aren't of the level of the second ( my favorite), third , fourth and fifth . But the two quartets (1 and 6) aren't bad compositions. Every Quartet is typical of the transformation of the author.
I love the recordings of the Julliard Quartet made at the beginning of the sixtieths. And I love the recordings of the Hungarian Quartet . The Emerson isn't bad. I love the fast way they play. I think that the Emerson Quartet is the only one that follow the crazy metronomes of Bartók. And they are exemplar in clarity . The recording of the Vermeer is sometime disappointing .The musicians are fantastic but the conception isn't exceptional . They play this crazy music as "normal" compositions. They are really cautious . The result isn't regular. The only quartet I love in this double CD is the No 6. The others are played with "fear".
One last thing: why they do a small cut at the end of the First movement of the second Quartet???

Compositions: Outstanding! Performance: Mediocre.......2007-06-05

These are some of my favorite pieces of music. Sadly, I found the performances on this disk lacking. If you are interested in a romantic interpretation of the slow movements, get Béla Bartók: The Six String Quartets - Juilliard String Quartet instead. If you like the violence of the fast sections, try Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet.

But for a truly inspired performance of all parts of all these compositions, I recommend Bartók: 6 String Quartets by the Hungarian String Quartet - that's my favorite!

Tough music with warmth.......2006-01-09

Other reviewers have already given us some excellent commentary about this release, so I'll just add a bit: I've been aware for some time that this group of quartets is considered by many to be amongst the greatest chamber music works of the 20th Century. I've tried getting to know this music through listening to several of the versions that have appeared over the years, including most mentioned in other reviews. This music does not fall easily on the ears (mine, anyway), and I've felt that the versions that I've heard (with the exception of the Vegh's) tend to emphasize the gritty toughness of the music, with special attention to the cutting edge (and virtuosic) nature of the work. And, to the uninitiated, this may cause the music to come across as rather cold and even bleak. (Some might argue that it IS cold and bleak, but I think there's more to it than that.)

The Vermeers approach these quartets with a warmer, even romantic bent (as others have noted). I like that. At least for purposes of "learning" these quartets, some listeners (like me) could very well prefer this approach. The sound is fairly warm, and a bit recessed, which, again, for some of us, may be just the thing.

If you don't know these quartets, and you want to give them a try, I think the Vermeers represent a great choice...economic, and with an emphasis on the warmer side of this challenging, but stimulating music.

Great performance for a great value.......2005-06-22

To be quite honest I've never heard these quartets performed by any of the mentioned groups such as the Emerson's or the Tekacs quartets but I have heard string quartets written by other composers that were played by a wide variety of performers. A string quartet performance is usually judged on its intonation or the ability for all the musicians to have viruoso control over their instruments and make an A sound exactly like an A and sound very "tuned". A performance is also judged by where the microphone is placed and how much reverb the recording venue has. I like the intimate sound of close miking and low reverberation myself because I feel the musicians are playing just for me and I hear every line of the music perfectly clear. Well this recording for the low cost of 12 bucks for 2 cd's is a great value if not the best recorded. To my ears at least. The players intonaton and ability to play off each other is absolutely superb. This is 20th century music making and its coldest and bleakest. The only thing that bothers me is the distant recording technique employed by the Naxos engineers as well as the slighly over reverberant church the Vermeers were recorded in. I feel that the music is just a little too far away sometimes but to be fair the music might be clearer than if the mic's were up close. All in all a great performance for a bargain price. I look forward to purchasing the Tekacs set next to see how big of an experience the music can be.

Middling Performances In Good Sound.......2005-05-27

I have to respectfully disagree with reviewer Scott Morrison's assessment of this effort by the Vermeer Quartet. If I were to assign a term paper grade, their readings would get an "A+/C+" rating (A+ for the musical content of Bartok's scores, C+ for the interpretation & execution). And I feel less equivocal than Mr. Morrison regarding the stature of these works: to my ears, they are clearly the finest integral set of string quartets produced by ANY 20th Century composer (including the Shostakovich and Schoenberg masterpieces in this medium).

The Vermeers play competently enough, and they receive very good recorded sound. But their rather cautious and slightly pedestrian readings lack the virtuoso sheen of the Emerson Quartet, and they sorely lack the rustic, almost earthy style of the Takacs ensemble. Like Beethoven's, the string quartets of Bartok cover a wide span of the composer's artistic life, and it's a huge challenge interpretively for any one ensemble to reconcile the romantic 1st Quartet with the far more abstract qualities of the 6th. I don't feel the Vermeer Quartet quite rises to the task, and my copy of their recording is now on its way to the used CD store.

To my taste, only one ensemble has achieved that goal: the Juilliard Quartet. Their historical first-ever set of the quartets from 1950 (in excellent transfers on a Pearl CD set - see my review) probes the meditative side of Bartok like no other, while their second recording (1963 for Columbia LPs in excellent stereo sound, sadly not yet transferred to CD) is unparalleled for cat-like agility and rhythmic inflection. Mr. Morrison's assertion that the Juilliards twice recorded Bartok's Six Quartets is not quite correct - they did three studio recordings, but sadly, their last one from 1981 (Sony) is nowhere near the level of their two earlier sets.

As Mr. Morrison has indicated, this Naxos set is inexpensive and could be an introductory choice for those who want to get acquainted with these glorious works. However, Sony cannot remain deaf forever to the pleas of chamber music lovers for a re-issue of the classic 1963 Juilliard set (the 3-LP original has become something of a collector's item). If THAT should appear on a Sony budget label, don't let it pass you by. To my ears, the Juilliard's extraordinary playing is clearly superior to the Vermeer's (particularly when comparing the cellists: in 1963 the Juilliard's Claus Adam is excellent, while in 1950 Arthur Winograd plays with even more personality). If I could have just ONE set of the Bartok Quartets in excellent stereo sound, my choice would be that 1963 Juilliard effort.

Jeff Lipscomb

Average customer rating:

Béla Bartók: The Six String Quartets
Bela Bartok , Fine Arts Quartet , Irving Ilmer , Abram Loft , and Leonard Sorkin
Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Fine Arts Quartet at WFMT

ASIN: B000CSUMV2
Release Date: 2006-01-01

Bartók: Complete String Quartets Nos. 1-6

Average customer rating:

Neglected Bartok cycle

Bartók: Complete String Quartets Nos. 1-6

Manufacturer: Erato
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000005EEK
Release Date: 1995-11-07

Tracks:

String Quartet No.1, Op.7: I - Lento
String Quartet No.1, Op.7: II - Poco a poco accelerando - Allegretto
String Quartet No.1, Op.7: III - Introduzione (Allegro) - Allegro vivace
String Quartet No.2, Op.17: I - Moderato
String Quartet No.2, Op.17: II - Allegro molto capriccioso
String Quartet No.2, Op.17: III - Lento
String Quartet No.4: I - Allegro
String Quartet No.4: II - Prestissimo, con sordino
String Quartet No.4: III - Non troppo lento
String Quartet No.4: IV - Allegretto pizzacato
String Quartet No.4: V - Allegro molto

Tracks:

String Quartet No.3: Prima parte - Moderato
String Quartet No.3: Seconda Parte - Allegro
String Quartet No.3: Ricapitulazione della prima parte - Moderato: Coda - Allegro Molto
String Quartet No.5: Allegro
String Quartet No.5: Adagio Molto
String Quartet No.5: Scherzo - Alla bulgarese
String Quartet No.5: Andante
String Quartet No.5: Finale - Allegro vivace
String Quartet No.6: I - Mesto - Vivace
String Quartet No.6: II - Mesto - Marcia
String Quartet No.6: III - Mesto - Burletta-moderato
String Quartet No.6: IV - Mesto - Keller Quartet

Amazon.com

It's a cruel fact of the marketplace that as fine a recording as this can nevertheless seem superfluous. The Keller Quartet plays very well, at a technical standard that, despite a few moments of coarse tone, would have seemed incredible a couple of decades ago. The interpretations range from reasonable to intensely involving, always doing honor to this great music. But with the intimidating standard set by the Emerson Quartet (Deutsche Grammophon), this excellent recording still cannot rank higher than as an interesting alternative worth hearing when you're looking for comparisons. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Neglected Bartok cycle.......2001-08-08

Both the Penguin Guide and Gramophone Magazine have praised this recording (now reincarnated at super-bargain price on the Ultima label) as being 'echt'-Bartok, in the tradition of the Vegh quartet, but with richer, digital recording, a greater sense of vibrancy and truer intonation. Indeed, Sandor Vegh himself in the sleeve-note praises the Keller's "true sense of communication" with this staggeringly powerful music. These readings easily surpass, among digitally recorded rivals, such showy names as the Emersons or the Juilliards (1981 cycle), as this Hungarian ensemble seems far closer to both the spirit and the soul of this music, as well as being spectacularly accomplished technically. Along with the Vegh and the Takacs, highly recommended, and at the new price (see Ultima reissue) hard to beat.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

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