Blind Comparison: Schubert String Quintet D. 956 / Op. 163

Started by amw, July 24, 2014, 10:11:09 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Brian

Group G

G1. Somewhat coarse recorded sound, the first couple bars aren't technically secure, but I can look past those issues. Unfortunately the first violin's intonation problems are too frequent. Overall, the recording is OK and I liked it better than Jeffrey and Carnivorous Sheep. But I expect to hear better.
G2. This is a highly eccentric account, what with the borderline-insane insistence on staccato in the scherzo sections. Almost like Norrington was involved! Part of me is tempted to send this forward, but part of me is really annoyed. Either way, the execution is superb and the playing is spectacular. Ultimately, I think I have to depart from the previous voters. On repeated listens this interpretation will not wear well.
G3. This is actually excellent! Middle-of-the-road, but I really strongly approve. Borderline thumbs-up.
G4. Is this HIP, or is the sound really compressed? The scherzo is generally really good, although I noticed that before the reprises they have a tendency to slow down momentarily. The trio section is not great, but it is plenty good. In summary, I agree with the Sheep, only I like it a little more.
G5. This is okay. It's pretty good given the acoustic is somebody's living room. I'm not wild about it.
G6. Eleven minutes??? Predictably, there's a great trio surrounded by mere acceptability.
G7. Uuugggghhhhh WHEN WILL THIS END

;D  G3
:)  G4
:-X  G1, G2, G5, G6
:(  G7


Wow, I thought I would like all of them. I ended up liking hardly any. This has me worried...but also, ready for another group!!

amw

Thanks Sheep & Brian!

Quote from: Brian on September 07, 2014, 08:01:41 AM
Wow, I thought I would like all of them. I ended up liking hardly any. This has me worried...but also, ready for another group!!
Yes, that seems to be a recurring theme here. This is a tough movement to get right, apparently. I'll send another group along

amw


Jay F


TheGSMoeller

#124
Group G - by G.

G1Too much bravado, which created too uncomfortable of a feeling for even the entire Andante section to be enjoyed. Nay-Nay.
G2 – Full of character, the lighter touches created a nice contrast to the boldness of some of the accents. Very smooth and cool Andante. Yay!!!!
G3 – Found myself swaying, almost dancing to this, not sure if I like that. But musically exciting. The slower section feels like a true Andante, keeps a nice pace, and it's a welcoming change of scenery from the Andantes that might stick around too long. Yay!!
G4 – Nothing truly interesting, but a good performance for sure. Very passionate Andante. Yay.
G5 – Someone tell the cello to calm down please. Nice Andante, of course. Nay.
G6 – The sister of G5, although the Andante here is heavenly, but surrounded by dull bookends. Yay, but only because of the Andante.
G7 – WE ARE ROBOTS. BLEEP (Nay)

;D G2 - Big Yay
:) G4, G6, G3 - Yay
:-X G5, G1 - Nay
:blank: G7 - No


I liked Brian's emoji labeling system.

kishnevi

Interesting how different criteria led to similar results from Greg and myself.

Brian

Can we all agree that G7 is a steaming pile of how-did-this-get-this-far boringness?

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Brian on September 12, 2014, 06:27:17 PM
Can we all agree that G7 is a steaming pile of how-did-this-get-this-far boringness?

I think I figured out who G7 is...


kishnevi

Quote from: TheGSMoeller on September 12, 2014, 06:32:03 PM
I think I figured out who G7 is...


Watch it turn out to be one of the most highly regarded recordings of all time. >:D :P

Brian

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on September 12, 2014, 06:46:19 PM
Watch it turn out to be one of the most highly regarded recordings of all time. >:D :P

I would say "how?!??!" but then again, we all know how much reviewers unaccountably* like the Alban Berg Quartet recording.
*possibly the wine talking

amw

Thanks GSM :)

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on September 12, 2014, 06:46:19 PM
Watch it turn out to be one of the most highly regarded recordings of all time. >:D :P

Actually it barely squeaked through Round 1, so I wasn't expecting it to get much further.

On the other hand, another of the recordings that barely made the cut has shot ahead of the competition in this round. Remains to be seen whether that turns into a trend.

Brahmsian

I hate having to ask, but I've been really busy the past few weeks with moving, preparations, before and after, etc.

Could I humbly please ask for a week's extension on Round 2?  :)

Cato

Group E

I listened with headphones.

E 1 - A good amount of energy and clarity among the lines!  The sound places you in the middle of the quartet.  The ebullience of the "A" section keeps you interested throughout, and one hears all the lines quite clearly.  The slow Trio has a certain drama and mystery in it, which the group conveys, although they took things perhaps a little too slowly: the last minute or two lost something, as if they were going through the motions.  The final section brought us all the joy of the opening with a brilliant finish.

E 2 - I noticed that the timing was c. 2 minutes longer than the previous one, and so I was startled to hear the speed of the opening easily match E 1's!  The recording is "bright," heavy on the treble: McUkrneal is correct about things being a little off occasionally.  At one point near the beginning of the final section I wondered if a splice had been made just slightly incorrectly.  The Trio is too slow, accounting for the longer timing.  It would not be too slow, if a Mahlerian or Barberesque drama in the dynamics were present, but as it is, I found it so slow as to be eccentric.  The final section in general was very good, although again the sound was heavy on the treble.

E 3 - Ignoring the static and other distortions from the recording is necessary here.  Again a very nice opening, although we now have a cello that is perhaps too dominant at times, and just a little edgy, but one could say it expresses the dynamism inherent in the music.  The Trio has the drama and coherence lacking in E 2 and and even E 1.  The cello in the final part again is maybe "growling" a little too much, but it is overall an exciting slam dunk finale!

E 4 Here the players are farther away, although there is no sense echoing spaciousness. I found the sound heavy on the bass, and even muffled.  Timing is under 10 minutes, so a very fast rendition.  The playing for the opening as a result seems to lack the polyphonic individuality found in E 1 or E 2.  The cellist makes 4 tiny but exposed errors in the Trio, which in general is played with some drama and mystery, and not so slowly that it becomes impossible to follow the point.  The Finale has again a great amount of energy, but the cotton-filled sound detracts from their playing.

E 5 Great sound, and one feels that the players are right in the room.  Excellent playing with distinct lines in the opening!  Marvelous climaxes which are created by the contrast in the dynamics.  The Trio is fairly slow, but does not fall apart, and again the dynamics and lines are practically perfect.  The sound's clarity does expose some breaths and clothes rustling coming from the players.  The Finale retains the excellent dynamic contrasts found in the opening.

E 6 - Again, great big sound that places you in the midst of the quartet.  Very nice opening, although in the crescendos the cellist a few times grinds away and loses the tone to a clicking and buzzing sound.  The Trio has an incredible dynamic range, and the cellist regains some smoothness: possibly the best of the group in this section!


E 7  A big - W  I  D  E - spacious sound!  Is this the group that thinks they are a symphony orchestra?  8)   Timing is under 10 minutes, but I did not find the opening section too fast, and dynamics are excellent, as is the individuality of the polyphony.  The Trio begins with an excellent amount of drama, but the clarity of this softer, slower Trio is so good that one hears breathing or clothes rustling at times.  The last section is an all-around slam-dunk!  0:)

So...here we go!  It was difficult to rank 5, 6, and 7, however...here we go:



E 6  (The Trio section earns them the nod, despite the cellist going ballistic at times!)

E 7  ( I really really really love that big  W  I  D  E  sound!

E 5 

E 1

E 3

E 4

E 2


"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

amw

Cool! Thanks, Cato!

ChamberNut, no worries, I'm also in the midst of moving right now and know it's a lot to deal with. I've anyway been considering extending the deadline to the last day of September, due to people's general busyness, so if no one objects the results will be revealed on the 30th instead of the 23rd.

Brian


E1. I like this, and find it tough to criticize, but I'm not exactly blown away either. The transition from trio back to scherzo is peculiar and not my style. Broadly, however, this performance gets it right.

E2. This is excellent! The outer sections have just a little more juice, and the trio is just a little more subdued. Great contrast. The trio is incredibly slow. I might get tired of how slow it is on repeated listens, but for now, I like it.

E3. Recorded using potatoes, this performance is precisely to my taste. I love a couple of legato tweaks by the violins in the scherzo sections, and the prominence of the cellos. Technically, the ensemble is by no means perfect, but I like the trio enough to vote for this. I might even give it the much-coveted thumbs-up!

E4. Another oldie, in fact even older (?), and a slightly less goodie to my taste, although I appreciate the mournful singing of the trio. Also, somebody seems to actually be moaning and groaning along.

E5. Goodness gracious, the clarity and precision of the attack here! Maybe it's just hearing a new recording after 3 and 4, or maybe it's how finely detailed the performance is, truly five equals. This might be the best scherzo section I have heard yet, besting G2 for sure and probably even G3. Double thumbs up.

E6. Well, rats. This one's another really good one. Is this the Group of Death? I'd like to move a couple recordings over to Group G so that they can all advance properly. Superb trio. Yeah, there is a real risk that there are too many great recordings in this group to advance. Can we have some kind of floating system across groups, measured by points? Thumbs up = 4 and so on?

E7. Giant reverberant space. I am 90% sure I know exactly who this group is. Yikes, my ballot is a complete and total mess. Sorry, amw. I liked E3 and E5-7 more than all but one of the recordings in Group G, so if we could have 4 and 2 advance instead of 3 each, that would be grreeeeaaat. Yeeaahhh.

8) E3, E5, E6, E7
:) E1, E2
:-X E4
:(

Jo498

Scherzo/Trio group E

I admittedly did not bother with the dacapo, so if an Ensemble introduced different phrasings or played more energetically there I would have missed it. I also seem to be less discerning with this movement, so it is hard for me to decide, because I liked most of them well enough. The rather bad sound of E3 and 4 makes it even harder for me to get to a fair assessment. I didn't strongly dislike any, but gave a few "Meh" for those I did not find very remarkable.


E 1 Scherzo rather slow, but still lively with nice inner voices, Trio slow and a good contrast, but not as hushed or bleak as one could imagine, decent, but not extraordinary: Meh
E 2 (sound slightly dated) very engaging Scherzo, sometimes a little violin dominated. Trio maybe a little too slow, but overall impressive, one of the strongest contrasts: Yea
E 3 bad sound (LP transfer, probably mono) needs a while to get used to. Despite the sound (not fun on headphones), both urgent and varied in the scherzo; they really whip out the last chord. Again a very slow and hushed trio. Yea
E 4 bad sound (distant mono) rather fast, but not as varied as 3, a little "streamlined" maybe, also skipping repeats, The trio is rather homogeneous, but works rather well, I like it better than the main section. Not sure, probably I kick out another classic: Meh
E 5 good sound, very strong contrast scherzo - trio: Yea,
E 6 also very good playing and sound, energetic and engaging scherzo, but the trio is a little to assertive/comfortable for me, still: Yea
E 7 sound not so good, to much reverb, sounds huge almost like an orchestra. Otherwise this is very energetic, but not really chamber-like: Meh

My faves are probably 5, 6 and 3 (I think the latter was also one of my favorites in the first round.)



Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Brahmsian

I've listened to group G for the Scherzo round.  What an experience!  :)  I'll report my results this evening.  Top 3 were very difficult to chose as to which one I liked best.

aukhawk

Great game, great comments.
Just back from a week away from t'internet  ;D - with the extended deadline, I'd be happy to do another group if you need a tie-breaker.
(already done F)

Brahmsian

Ok, my comments and rankings for Group G

G1 - Good opening pace, and pretty good sound quality.  Trio:  Very passionate, without overembellishment.  Really loved this performance overall, it struck a chord with me.  Well played, but with some passion.

G2- Very fast paced opening, albeit some muffled sound quality especially coming from the lower register instruments.  Trio:  Beautifully played.  Very nice, simplicity in the sublimety.

G3 - Good pace, clear sound.  Excellent instrumental clarity.  Trio:  Very beautifully played, not overstated in the least, but clean and clear.  Wonderfully paced.  Could this be the Emersons with Rostropovich?

G4 - Good starting pace to open.  Clear instrumental sound from all.  Trio:  OK, but this is the first trio that I've ever heard that did not grab me at all emotionally.  The blandest, ho hum trio to this work I've heard.  Nothing stood out. :(

G5 - Emphatic dynamic sound on this recording, and good pace to open.  Good sound quality.  Trio:  A disappointment, in a sense.  I felt this trio was too rushed, and the full stops were abrupt, which I found jarring, alarming and annoying.  I'm supposed to be in bliss land here!  LOL  Just felt it was cutting off the moments, and they were trying to rush through this one (a la mail it in type of thing).

G6 - Sound is muffled, with too much of a bass balanced engineer.  A bit of a scratchy sound.  Trio:  Played nicely, but I found played way too pianissiomo and a tad on overly slow side.

G7 - Sorry to disappoint you both, Greg and Brian.  :(  I kind of liked this one, and it is my middle of the road pick in the 7 samples (aka 4th).  Sorry, I don't detect any Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto playing here.   :D ;D  OK, it was a slow paced beginning, not brisk enough, and does lack some momentum punch, but good playing and sound.  Trio:  Very smooth, mild and sumptuously played.  Very beautiful.  Overall, the individual instruments have a clear sound, none are lost in the shuffle.  The individual voices can be heard clearly.

Overall ranking

G1 > G3 > G2 > G7 > G6 >G4 > G5

G1 - Double Yay
G3 - Double Yay
G2 - Yay
G7 - Yay (those robots can play!   ;D)
G6 - Meh
G4 - Nay
G5 - Nay

amw

Thanks for the votes!

Various things:
Quote from: Brian on September 21, 2014, 06:48:59 AMCan we have some kind of floating system across groups, measured by points?
I'm definitely considering it, judging by how unbalanced the scores are becoming this round. We're already incorporating results from previous rounds. Four recordings from each group are supposed to move on, but we'll see what the final scores are.

Quote from: aukhawk on September 22, 2014, 01:52:45 PMI'd be happy to do another group if you need a tie-breaker.
Group F is actually the one most in need of votes, as the other people who were sent the group seem to have gone AWOL.

The top picks so far, more or less

E
mc ukrneal - E6, E1, E3, E5
Cato - E6, E7, E5, E1
Brian - E5, E6, E7, E3
Jo498 - E5, E6, E3, E2

F
aukhawk - F1, F2, F6, F4
Jay F - F3, F2, F4

G
Jeffrey Smith - G2
Carnivorous Sheep - G5, G6, G2, G3
Brian - G3, G4
GSMoeller - G2, G4, G6, G3
ChamberNut - G1, G3, G2, G7

Group E's results are more or less determined by now, though Pim and Pat B could potentially knock out one of the contenders if they return. I can send you Group G (only two are definitely advancing), but if anyone from one of the other groups would like to do F it would be appreciated.

E4 and G7 are currently the only definite eliminations, probably also G5 and F5.