Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810, "Death and the Maiden"

[ando]

Here are two clear examples of how maturity and communication are vital when interpreting a classic work, particularly one by a composer who was, in many respects, in extremis when writing it. The first is by the young Brazilian ensemble, Quarteto Atlântico, with a recent live performace from a small church in Ribeirão Pires. While they certainly have a great sound (and are battling noises from a very nearby bus station), have cohesion and look cute, they seem to be on automatic pilot and making very little eye contact with one another. The second, older American ensemble, Escher Quartet, on the other hand are not only a cohesive unit, they've marvelously distinct voices, seem keenly aware of one another and, most importantly, articulate the dynamic as well as the more solemn passages of the piece. They're in beautiful accord as opposed to playing music according to Franz Peter Schubert. My take, anyway. Enjoy.

Quarteto Atlântico:

Escher Quartet:
(Movements 1 & 2)

(Movements 3 & 4)

Escher Quartet Studio Take of First Movement:

[Holden]

Interesting to see the different placings of the viola and cello. I personally like to see the violins apart from each other.

And there is this

<iframe width="666" height="487" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CXeTlgBIdaU" title="Pavel Haas Quartet: Schubert Death &amp; the Maiden" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[ando]

Interesting to see the different placings of the viola and cello. I personally like to see the violins apart from each other.

And there is this

<iframe width="666" height="487" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CXeTlgBIdaU" title="Pavel Haas Quartet: Schubert Death &amp; the Maiden" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Goody! Another great take. Thanks! 

[ando]

Interesting to see the different placings of the viola and cello. I personally like to see the violins apart from each other.

May I ask why? Can you actually hear the spacial differences? If so, that's pretty amazing.

[Jo498]

Depending on the recording and the playback system, e.g. with headphones it is usually not hard to hear if the violins are both on the left or one left, one right. (The only quartet I am aware of who has violins opposite each other is the Festetics but I might simply forget others.)
It's more difficult to distinguish between 'cello in the middle or to the right, i.e. the setups in the videos above.

[DavidW]

Depending on the recording and the playback system, e.g. with headphones it is usually not hard to hear if the violins are both on the left or one left, one right.

It is pretty easy to hear with speakers as well provided one has good imaging.  Doesn't even need to be near field.

[Holden]

May I ask why? Can you actually hear the spacial differences? If so, that's pretty amazing.

With the headphones I've got the answer is yes. I would imagine a good, well set hifi system would be able to do the same

[ando]

I'm a bit skeptical. I don't believe that if I listened to, say, the Escher performance above in mono, or any performance where the violins were separated spatially in mono, that it would make a qualitative difference. In other words, aren't the voicings established far more by the performer's abilities and/or interpretations than their seat arrangements? 

[DavidW]

I'm a bit skeptical. I don't believe that if I listened to, say, the Escher performance above in mono, or any performance where the violins were separated spatially in mono, that it would make a qualitative difference. In other words, aren't the voicings established far more by the performer's abilities and/or interpretations than their seat arrangements? 

That YT video is in stereo not mono.

[ando]

That YT video is in stereo not mono.

Thank You. It wasn't my point. To reiterate: if I decide to listen to it in mono (which I can do quite easily) wouldn't the individual voicings, given the caliber of the ensemble, still be present? Seat arrangements and stereo settings seem more incidental than essential to the performance.

[DavidW]

Oh sorry that was stupid of me, I should have read your post much more carefully!  I'm tired.

[ando]

No worries; I guess it's a matter of what you are and aren't able to capture in any given recording of a performance in terms of what the composer wanted to convey and the rapport between interpreters. What's incidental and what's crucial to a recorded performance? It's an engineering concern in the end, I guess.