The Milhaud string quartets

[Sean]

I've borrowed a complete set of these, which make amiable but rarely arresting listening; two of the late ones have the odd feature of being playable simultaneously as an octet. Are there any in the set that I should look out for in particular?

[RebLem]

Is that the Parisii quartet cycle?

Yes, I would say the later ones--12 to 18--are the best.

There used to be a cycle out by something called the Cybellia Quartet.  I got one CD of that, planning to get the others over time, and then they went OOP. 

[Sean]

Thanks RebLem- I'll try and give them special attention.

[71 dB]

Milhaud is very interesting chamber composer.
Unfortunately his chamber music isn't recorded much.

[snyprrr]

yes, i dredged up another old thread....sorry

but i find the milhaud cycle.....well, there's more variety than villa lobos (17) and rosenberg (12) and malipiero (....there's MORE quartets than hindemith, haha....but i find them consistantly inventive, sprightly, cheery, all the milhaud words....french.

he had to make up for all the other french composers who didn't write quartets!

A) 1-2:  these first two are amoungst his biggest, may i use the term "impressionistic"?, complete with debussy quote, just fresh happy substantial quartets.

3-4: 3, in two movements is quite funereal, with a soprano in II. No. 4 was written in brazil, reflecting the maturing milhaud: short (11min.), sprightly outer mvmts, with a typical slow mvmt in the middle (3 or 4 mvmts from here on). also, his harmonic style...

B) 5-6,7: 5 is the "schoenberg" quartet, rigorous and quirky bi-tonality. No. 6 is the "poulenc" quartet (poulenc didn't like No5), and it DOES sound like poulenc's non-existant quartet.

no.7 is just a nice, pretty qrt....aw

C) 8-13....this reminds me of villa lobos' same middle quartets...same time frame...just a personal thing,....but these qrts aren't poppin into my head memorability wise, except for No. 12, which i would put alongside No.7 as the most overtly "beautiful".

no 13 was written in mexico (play next to the revueltas!) and reflects that...and that leaves three qrts i need to get to know better!

D) 14-15, octet....the two qrts that can be played separately or together. i really really like the octet....the qrts, a bit more elusive....but i think very underrated in terms of accomplishment.

E) 16, 17-18....these return to the longer form of 1-2. 16 is very genial, and 17-18 form a "happier"/"sadder" pair. perhaps compare the last two quartets to the last two by hindemith, and the last two by villa lobos, and the last of bloch, perhaps. all these composers got a little extra something out of their quartet writing in their last works.

there is also a little funeral music for stravinsky that is short and very interestingly, berg-like perhaps.

it seems as though at least half these qrts are dedicated to e.s. coolidge, or the composer's wife!
so, anyway, for what it's worth, i think this cycle deserves a nice place, perhaps alongside the hindemith and villa lobos....definitely as THE french cycle of the 20th century. i do tend to go for this cycle rather than the others for its consistant generosity of joyfulness. plus, it seems like EVERY qrt by villa lobos and rosenberg clock in at 25min., the milhaud just seems like a bouquet full of different things. and....you just can't be russian ALL the time, teehee!

i encourage you to check out the various composers who wrote copiously for the medium throughout their lives. it DOES get quite intimate indeed.

enjoy

[George]

Is there a nice budget box of these works?

[snyprrr]

the parisii box shows up on ebay sometime(where i got mine @ $60))s...no copies on amazon

and the cybelia cds are very rare

the first two quartets are available on the budget discover label(arriaga str qrt) A MUST HAVE, SINCE IT INCLUDES AN EXTRA MOVEMENT IN QRT NO1.

1-8 ARE AVAILABLE ON TROUBADISC (F. MENDLESOHN QRT) but that series is saddled with songs.

quartetto italiano on No12

BUT NO BUDGET BOX

I HEAR BRILLIANT CLASSICS IS RELEASING THE COMPLETE CHAMBER WORKS OF LEKEU!

[Lethevich]

The Parisii cycle is still being seeded on Demonoid for anybody who uses that. No way I am going to pay second hand prices (and get second hand quality) for it.

[George]

The Parisii cycle is still being seeded on Demonoid for anybody who uses that. No way I am going to pay second hand prices (and get second hand quality) for it.

Great! Thanks for the tip!

[Harry]

As far as my knowledge goes, Naxos has the SQ in the pipeline.

[San Antone]

Since the Naive box set of the Complete Quartets is OOP, I created a Youtube playlist of all 18 quartets.

Quatuor Parisii

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, I must check those out . . . .

[Sergeant Rock]

Since the Naive box set of the Complete Quartets is OOP, I created a Youtube playlist of all 18 quartets.

Quatuor Parisii

Cool. Much obliged.

Sarge