Benjamin Britten: The String Quartets 2 & 3 - The Britten Quartet

1. String Quartet, No. 2 in C major, Op. 36
Composed by Benjamin Britten
with Britten String Quartet

2. String Quartet, No. 3, Op. 94
Composed by Benjamin Britten
with Britten String Quartet

Benjamin Britten: The String Quartets 2 & 3 - The Britten Quartet,Benjamin Britten (Composer),The Britten Quartet,Collins Classics,Classical,Classical Music

Average customer rating: Well worth it beautiful compilation Nice playing for bargain price

Britten: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Britten: String Quartets, Vol.2 Walton: Piano Quartet / String Quartet Bridge: String Quartets 2 & 4 / Phantasy Piano Quartet Bridge: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 3 Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet/String Quartets 1 & 2 ASIN: B00000DHRC Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Andante Sostenuto - Allegro Vivo
2. String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Allegretto Con Slancio
3. String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Andante Colmo
4. String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Molto Vivace
5. String Quartet No. 2 In C Major, Op. 36: Allegro Calmo Senza Rigore
6. String Quartet No. 2 In C Major, Op. 36: Vivace
7. String Quartet No. 2 In C Major, Op. 36: Chacony
8. Three Divertimenti: March
9. Three Divertimenti: Waltz
10. Three Divertimenti: Burlesque

Customer Reviews:

Well worth it.......2006-08-02

Before purchasing this CD, I had only heard the #2 quartet in concert, and so I'm afraid I cannot offer a comparative review. That said, it seems to me the Maggini Quartet offers all you could reasonably ever want from these works. They combine great elegance with great passion and dynanism. All the strings, including first violin, are sweet and lyrical when called for, and aggressive and trenchant when required. A very "involving" performance, and I've come to love these works and try foisting them on people whenever able.

beautiful compilation.......2004-01-09

these are splendid performances, warmly and crisply recorded, of some of britten's most inspired pieces. i'm a huge fan of britten's second quartet and particular about how it should be played: the maggini do a wonderful job, combining a crackling technique with expansive lyricism and perfect phrasing; tempos seem just right in every movement. this disc and its companion include the three quartets with britten's divertimento and simple symphony in quartet scoring. my one complaint is that the simple symphony seems to add a double bass player who goes uncredited in the liner notes. both discs are highly recommended.

Nice playing for bargain price.......2003-08-05

My friend has a recording of the Julliard quartet on London records, but this recording is very nice and well worth the bargain price.

Average customer rating: Exceptional Performances Stunning? YES! Britten's String Quartets are given exemplary performances

Britten: String Quartets No. 1, 2, 3; Three Divertimenti Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Cello Suites Britten: Piano Concerto / Violin Concerto Rochberg: String Quartets Nos. 3-6 Elliot Carter: String Quartets 1-4; Elegy Britten: The Canticles; Ian Bostridge, David Daniels ASIN: B0007RO55C Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. I. Andante Sostenuto - Allegro Vivo
2. II. Allegretto Con Slancio
3. III. Andante Calmo
4. IV. Molto Vivace
5. I. Allegro Calmo Senza Rigore
6. II. Vivace
7. III. Chacony: Sostenuto

Tracks:

1. I. Duets
2. II. Ostinato
3. III. Solo
4. IV. Burlesque
5. V. Recitative And Passacaglia (La Serenissima)
6. I. March
7. II. Waltz
8. III. Burlesque

Amazon.com

The chamber music on this CD spans almost Britten's entire career, from 1936 to 1975. The Three Divertimenti were not well received at their premiere in '36 and Britten was "downcast." While hardly masterpieces, the stormy first movement's march, the second's calming waltz and the final, unsettled burlesque still hold the interest, especially when as well played as the Belceas play them. The first quartet's (1941) first movement alternates andante with allegro passages, while the second is a bristly march, the third calms the listener down and the final movement is upbeat. The second quartet, written right after the very successful premiere of Peter Grimes, is far more complex. It is in three movements. The first is an off-putting combination of depression and mania; the second, while outwardly perky (it's marked "vivace"), is creepy. But it's the last movement that is so masterful--a theme and 21 variations on a Purcell-like chaconne, which lasts 18 minutes and gives cadenzas to cello, first violin and viola. The Third Quartet, composed after "Death in Venice," uses one of its themes and is in five movements. It is a dark, forceful work with little joy--when it isn't nervous it's disheartening--but it is a fascinating and affecting piece you won't forget. The Belceas play as a team as brilliantly as they do during their individual moments. Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional Performances.......2006-11-16

I would never have listened to these discs had it not been for an ecstatic Gramophone review. Now, these have become some of my favorite quartets. The First Quartet is the most memorable for me with its shimmering opening. It was written in the US in 1941 and the interaction between the instruments is extraordinary, reflecting a youthful enthusiasm. The Second Quartet followed in 1945 following the premiere of Peter Grimes and was commissioned to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Henry Purcell's birth. The dedication to Purcell comes in the final movement marked Chacony. The quartet is set out as a series of variations where the individual instruments have their own cadenzas in the first movement followed by an engaging Scherzo written with a tarantella theme. The final movement, longer than the first two together, is a reflective passacaglia.

The Third Quartet was written in 1975 and was premiered after the composer's death in December 1976. It is an introspective work which, like Shostakovich's final quartets, is Benjamin Britten's farewell. It is cast in five movements, each containing a quotation from the composer's final opera Death in Venice. The quartet opens with a quiet and introspective movement named Duets. The Burlesque movement is somewhat reminiscent of the Rondo-Burleske of Mahler's Ninth and coming after the gentleness of the opening movements is rather jarring. The final passacaglia movement, titled La Serrenissima, is the composer's elegy on the end of life. The recording includes the Three Divertimenti from 1936, movements left from a projected longer work of character movements.

The Belcea Quartet gives superb and sensitive performances of the quartets and the recordings are perfectly engineered. If one knows only the operas of Benjamin Britten the string quartets add a dimension that demands attention.

Stunning? YES!.......2006-08-06

I have had this album for about six months, and have listened to it many times. It has slowly come to be one of my most treasured and beloved albums. These string quartets are modern in the best sense of the word, without a lot of dissonance, and yet with lots of sharp edges, provocative phrases, and profound themes. The Belcea Quartet plays these quartets passionately but also effortlessly. They bring to these quartets a freshness and a contemporary feeling; they are forceful, poignant, and deep. The music seems to come alive, and speak with such authority, totally in synch with current times. (Now, if only we could convince Belcea to do Bartok next.)

If you love chamber music, and string quartets especially, you really MUST own this recording. Sit down some evening, pour yourself a (tall) glass of pinot noir, listen to these quartets -- and be mesmerized. My advice to you, if you are still wavering, is to go out to the MusicWeb, and read the review there. You will find the word "Stunning" used of this recording. And yes, 'stunning' is probably the word that best describes it.

Britten's String Quartets are given exemplary performances.......2006-06-12

The Belcea Quartet seems to have a particular affinity for the string quartets of Benjamin Britten. The performances here of these works (String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36, and String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94 and Divertimenti for string quartet) provide a 'travelogue' of the composer's career, allowing us to hear works from the early years, through the middle very productive years, to the last period of his composing.

Each of the Quartets is performed with what feel like utter ease - a true feat when the complexity of these compositions is understood. But the Belcea Quartet finds all of the searing melodies that span the works while giving dance to all of the virtuosic elements. This is a fine performance of chamber music too infrequently programmed. And performances such as these by the Belcea Quartet should alter that situation! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

Average customer rating: Fine Performances

Britten: String Quartets 2 & 3 Manufacturer: Challenge Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B000062Y2B Release Date: 2003-08-05

Tracks:

1. I Allegro Calmo, Senza Rigore
2. II Vivace
3. III Chacony: Sostenuto
4. I Duets: With Moderate Movement
5. II Ostinato: Very Fast
6. III Solo: Very Calm
7. IV BurlesqueFast, Con Fuoco
8. V Recitative And Passacaglia (La Serenissima): Slow - Slowly Moving

Customer Reviews:

Fine Performances.......2005-08-22

These are fine performances of Britten's 2nd and 3rd quartets. These quartets are not widely performed and only a few recordings are available. These quartets are excellent, perhaps not the very best of Britten's output but interesting and often beautiful music that repays repeated listening.

Average customer rating:

Benjamin Britten: the Complete Music for String Quartet, Volume 2 Manufacturer: EMI Digital ProductGroup: Classical Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000JS9YC8

Product Description

String Quartet No. 1 in D Three Divertimenti-Alla Marcia Phatasy for Oboe & String Trio (Douglas Boyd, oboe)

Average customer rating:

Koch International Classics CD Sampler #1 Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glinka | Glinka, Mikhail | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Morton Gould | Gould, Morton | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Grainger | Grainger, Percy Aldridge | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ives, Charles | ( I ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Kabalevsky | Kabalevsky, Dmitri | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Menotti | Menotti, Gian Carlo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Domenico Scarlatti | Scarlatti, Domenico | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Telemann, Georg Philipp | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Telemann, Georg Philipp | Composers | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Ives, Charles | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Hymns | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000001SDV Release Date: 1994-04-20

Tracks:

1. Fanfare for JFK - The London Philharmonic
2. Sebastian (Ballet Suite) - The New Zealand Sym
3. Quintet for Flute & String Quartet - Dwyer/The Manhattan String Quartet
4. Cave of the Heart - The Atlantic Sinfonietta
5. Concert a cinq - The Atlantic Sinfonietta
6. Berceuse, Op.16 - Leonidas Kavakos/Anne Epperson
7. Quatour pour Saxophones - The Prism Quartet
8. Fantasie in c, KV 475 - Dubravka Tomsic
9. Trio Pathetique in d - Trio d'Amsterdam
10. Sonata No.4 in C - American Baroque
11. Sonata in D, K.491 (Allegro) - Elaine Thornburgh
12. Hymn of St. Columba - The Saint Thom as Choir of Men&Boys
13. The Comedians: Prologue/Comedian's Galop - The San Diego CO
14. Danish Folk-Music Suite: Lord Peter's Stable-Boy - The Melbourne SO
15. Wonderful Town - A Little Bit in Love - Judy Kaye/Steven Blier
16. Hi Ho! - Judy Kaye/Steven Blier
17. 'Country Band' March - Orchestra New England
18. Dance Variations for Two Pianos & Orch:Tarantella - Joshua Pierce/Dorothy Jonas
19. Arias and Barcarolles: Nachspiel (In Memoriam) - Kaye/Sharp/Barrett

Average customer rating:

Britten:String Quartets Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000FCEL Release Date: 1998-11-17

Tracks:

1. String Quartet In F Major (1928): I - Allegro vivace e con brio
2. String Quartet In F Major (1928): II Andante
3. String Quartet In F Major (1928): III Allegro vivace
4. String Quartet In F Major (1928): IV Allegro molto
5. String Quartet In D Major (1931): I Allegro maestoso
6. String Quartet In D Major (1931): II Lento ed espressivo -
7. String Quartet In D Major (1931): III Allegro giocoso
8. String Quartet No 2 In C Major Op 36: I Allegro calmo senza rigore
9. String Quartet No 2 In C Major Op 36: II Vivace
10. String Quartet No 2 In C Major Op 36: III Chacony: Sostenuto

Average customer rating:

Britten, Bridge, Holst: String Quartets / Brindisi String Quartet (Conifer) Manufacturer: Conifer ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000024BX Release Date: 1994-12-13

Average customer rating:

Great Britain Quartets Manufacturer: Collins Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Elgar | Elgar, Sir Edward | ( E ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tippett | Tippett, Michael | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Walton | Walton, Sir William | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music ASIN: B000003W1A Release Date: 1993-08-23

Average customer rating:

Benjamin Britten: The String Quartets 2 & 3 - The Britten Quartet Benjamin Britten (Composer) , and The Britten Quartet Manufacturer: Collins Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000003VVH Release Date: 1993-08-24

Tracks:

1. Str Qt No.2 in C, Op.36: Allegro calmo senza rigore
2. Str Qt No.2 in C, Op.36: Vivace
3. Str Qt No.2 in C, Op.36: Chacony: Sostenuto
4. Str Qt No.3, Op.94: Duets
5. Str Qt No.3, Op.94: Ostinato
6. Str Qt No.3, Op.94: Solo
7. Str Qt No.3, Op.94: Burlesque
8. Str Qt No.3, Op.94: Recitative and Passacaglia (La Serenissima)

Average customer rating:

Britten: String Quartets Nos. 2 & 3 Manufacturer: Crd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005A0GY Release Date: 2001-02-27

Track Listings:

1. Birds, Beasts, and Battles
2. Birtwistle: Antiphonies for Piano and Orchestra/Nomos/An Imaginary Landscape
3. BRAHMS - MOZART - WOLF - FERRARI : Ferdinand Leitner
4. Britten: Choral Music - Gloriana, opera, Op. 53; Five Flower Songs for SATB chorus, Op. 47; A Boy Was Born, choral variations for mixed voices, Op. 3
5. Britten: Occasional Overture/Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge/Prelude and Fugeu, Op.29/The Young Person's Guide
6. Britten: Piano Concerto, Op.13/Violin Concerto, Op.15
7. Bruckner: Mass No2, WAB27; Locus iste WAB23
8. BRUCKNER : Symphony No. 7 In E Major - Carl Schuricht / Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester
9. Brumel: Missa; Josquin Desprez: Berzerette savoyenne
10. Cathedral Brass - Sacred works for Brass by Gabrieli, Bach and Clarke

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Billy Joel Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection [Box set] [Import]

Górecki: Miserere; Gubaidulina: Alleluja

Fine and Mellow

Music: Levelling the Land

I Don't Love My Guru Anymore

From the Front Row Live [Enhanced] [Live]

Four Legged Tales

Gabriela Benackova, Soprano

Hank Garland & Sugar Footers

En Mi País

Fucc The I.N.S. [Explicit Lyrics]

Golden Oldies, Vol. 9

Hinson, Micah P & the Gospel of Progress [Import]

Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra; Four Sea Interludes

Barcelona