Your 5 favourite String Quartet Ensembles

[Brahmsian]

In a similar vein to George's "Your favourite conductors" and Don's "Your favourite Bach Pianists".

I'll try to keep a running tally here and there.

[springrite]

Vegh
Arditti
Smetna
Alban Berg
Amadeus

OK, just off the top of my head to get it started.

[Gurn Blanston]

Schuppanzigh
Mosaiques
Festetics
Marcolini
Kuijken

[springrite]

Schuppanzigh
Mosaiques
Festetics
Marcolini
Kuijken

I voted for ones that are easier to spell. 

[Brahmsian]

Quartetto Italiano
Emerson SQ
Carpe Diem SQ
Fine Arts Quartet
Maggini SQ

[Gurn Blanston]

I voted for ones that are easier to spell. 

Fair enough 

[Leon]

Jerusalem
Mosaiques
Takacs
Pacifica
Alban Berg

[springrite]

I voted for ones that are easier to spell. 

Even doing so, I misspelled Smetana.


Should have voted for Melos? I can't screw up that one.

[Sergeant Rock]

Quartetto Italiano

Jerusalem Quartet

Quatuor Mosaïques

Pavel Haas Quartet

Leipziger Streichquartett


Sarge

[The Raven]

Quatuor Mosaïques
The Lindsays
Takacs
Quartetto Italiano
Budapest

[Todd]

Probably something like this:

Vegh
Budapest
Prazak
Panocha
Petersen

(It's hard to ignore the Arditti in modern repertoire, though, and the Danel are mighty fine, too.)

[Brahmsian]

Panocha

Almost put this one in.  Damn, I should have made it a top 10   Forgetting about Takacs, Alban Berg, Borodins, Kronos, Talich, and on and on and on.

[Wakefield]

Quatuor Festetics
Quatuor Mosaïques
Alban Berg Quartet
Leipziger Streichquartett
Quartetto Italiano

[KeithW]

Takacs
Pavel Haas
Quartets Italiano
Busch
Artemis

[Brian]

Pavel Haas
Fine Arts
Prazak
Quatuor Mosaïques


Not sure about #5, could be Pacifica or Cleveland, or the Borodins. My Italiano collection is sadly lacking; I think I'd like them. Maybe the Prague SQ from the old Suprahon days.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Hagen
Vegh
Takacs
Emerson
Arditti

[Scarpia]

Vermeer (for Beethoven)
Griller
Alban Berg (original lineup as recorded by Telefunken)
Italiano
Hagen (love their Mozart cycle especially)

Seems I have left no one to play Shostakovich.  That's a shame.

[Brahmsian]

Vermeer (for Beethoven)
Griller
Alban Berg (original lineup as recorded by Telefunken)
Italiano
Hagen (love their Mozart cycle especially)

Seems I have left no one to play Shostakovich.  That's a shame.

Welcome back, Scarpia! 

[Scarpia]

Welcome back, Scarpia! 

Thanks!

[Sammy]

Mosaiques (Haydn)
Tatrai (Haydn)
Taneyev (Russian repertoire)
Vegh (Beethoven & Bartok)
Prague (Dvorak) - if ranked, this would be my no. 1)