Topic: ~HIP SQs~

[snyprrr]

(Apologies for being so out of date.)

Beecke, Zimmerman, Rigel, Titz, Lombardini...

I've had a stab at this subject myself: http://thesavagebreast.blogspot.com/

Hey! Let's talk HIP SQs!


I haven't bought one since we were going hot'n'heavy last year; was recently listening to the Albrectsberger (Hungaroton) and JM Kraus (this stuff is really nice).


Since then, there is another Albrectsberger cd on Hungaroton (Authentic Quartet, again). This one, however, has lots of short Preludes&Fugues, and not the more substantial four mvmt Haydn-type that graced the earlier cd.

[chasmaniac]

I can't speak to HIPness, I'm afraid. Haydn drew me to the form and I went looking for anything in a SQ that promised to be "what he said", like his. I was disappointed, intrigued and challenged by how hard it is to find 18c SQs, thought there'd be scads of them, but there aren't.

My ear channels them into 2 broad categories:
1. Wiener, sophisticated and ambitious, given to a certain edginess - whoever isn't in category 2.
2. Francais, decorative, satisfied to be pretty - Haydn prior to opus 9, Gossec, Gretry, Zimmerman, Rigel, Boccherini (as a rule), Boulogne, Lombardini, Rosetti, Hoffmeister. (And I refuse to denigrate these - nothing wrong with pretty.)

No grand claims here, these are my impressions.

The Titz set on Profil is outstanding, and HIP I believe. Other standouts are Eybler on Analekta and Wolfl on Caro Mitis.

[chasmaniac]

Recommendations illustrated:

[snyprrr]

Recommendations illustrated:

I have the Eybler. It may be the single best pre-1800 SQ disc out there, IMHO. The minor key SQ seems to prefigure the 'witch's meneut' of Haydn's 'Fifths' SQ. In another place, Eybler coaxes out what sounds like Irish Music. Albrechtsberger said Eybler was the Greatest Genius next to Mozard.

[snyprrr]

I can't speak to HIPness, I'm afraid. Haydn drew me to the form and I went looking for anything in a SQ that promised to be "what he said", like his. I was disappointed, intrigued and challenged by how hard it is to find 18c SQs, thought there'd be scads of them, but there aren't.

My ear channels them into 2 broad categories:
1. Wiener, sophisticated and ambitious, given to a certain edginess - whoever isn't in category 2.
2. Francais, decorative, satisfied to be pretty - Haydn prior to opus 9, Gossec, Gretry, Zimmerman, Rigel, Boccherini (as a rule), Boulogne, Lombardini, Rosetti, Hoffmeister. (And I refuse to denigrate these - nothing wrong with pretty.)

No grand claims here, these are my impressions.

The Titz set on Profil is outstanding, and HIP I believe. Other standouts are Eybler on Analekta and Wolfl on Caro Mitis.

btw- a couple of new names to look up. Thanks!

[chasmaniac]

Zimmerman:


Rigel:


Lombardini-Sirmen, a real actual woman:

[snyprrr]

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[snyprrr]

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[Jo498]

The 6 quartets by Richter ( + a 7th) have been recorded a few years ago by the Casal Quartett (not to be confused with the Cuatuor Casals). (The Rincontro disc on Alpha with the first 3 remained alone).
They put the dubious 1757 on the Cover and titled the set "Genesis". The problem is that the 1757 is a dubious date based on a single recollection of Dittersdorf (or some other guy). The pieces were published around 1768 and it was not that common to publish so long after the composition. In any case, Richter's works are considerably more elaborate than Haydn's opp. 1+2 divertimenti. They are probably also less violin-dominated and more polyphonic than most of Haydn's op. 9+17 (but I'd say the latter are more "modern" and adventurous in other ways). After all Richter was a generation older than Haydn and well known for his polyphonic skills, so it is only to be expected that Richter's music has more "learned" passages.
It is a worthwhile set, I'd say.

More high classical and mostly "lighter" but also worth the modest price are 3 quartets by Hoffmeister (played on modern instruments) by a youngish Israeli quartet

[snyprrr]

The 6 quartets by Richter ( + a 7th) have been recorded a few years ago by the Casal Quartett (not to be confused with the Cuatuor Casals). (The Rincontro disc on Alpha with the first 3 remained alone).
They put the dubious 1757 on the Cover and titled the set "Genesis". The problem is that the 1757 is a dubious date based on a single recollection of Dittersdorf (or some other guy). The pieces were published around 1768 and it was not that common to publish so long after the composition. In any case, Richter's works are considerably more elaborate than Haydn's opp. 1+2 divertimenti. They are probably also less violin-dominated and more polyphonic than most of Haydn's op. 9+17 (but I'd say the latter are more "modern" and adventurous in other ways). After all Richter was a generation older than Haydn and well known for his polyphonic skills, so it is only to be expected that Richter's music has more "learned" passages.
It is a worthwhile set, I'd say.

More high classical and mostly "lighter" but also worth the modest price are 3 quartets by Hoffmeister (played on modern instruments) by a youngish Israeli quartet

Ah, a Richter follow up disc, I'll have to check! thx