Shostakovich String Quartets

[Conor71]

Ray, I'm asking why he has narrowed the choice to those two offerings.  When the Danel set was released everyone here went ga-ga over it.  I'm surprised that it no longer seems to be a consensus favorite.  I don't know if it's "the best," but think it's a darned good one well worth consideration.  And the St. Petersburg Qt's spikier approach for hyperion might still be available dirt cheap from BRO.  Plus all of the usual suspects.  So I'm curious how/why he narrowed his options down to those two right out of the gate.

Hi David: I narrowed down my choice based mainly on price as the Fitzwilliam set can be bought new from as little as $16 US on Amazon, that works out at only about $30 AUS which is a great deal and I dont have a whole lot of money available for buying classical the next few months - That plus the Fitzwilliam set had quite a few favourable reviews and was mentioned as a good set for starting out with these works. At the time I posted the Sorrel set was available at a good price too but it has since gone up and I was attracted to this set as it was released on Chandos whose recordings I normally like.

Its not set in stone though and I was still interested to see what sets folk would recommend  .

[DarkAngel]

Hi David: I narrowed down my choice based mainly on price as the Fitzwilliam set can be bought new from as little as $16 US on Amazon, that works out at only about $30 AUS which is a great deal and I dont have a whole lot of money available for buying classical the next few months - That plus the Fitzwilliam set had quite a few favourable reviews and was mentioned as a good set for starting out with these works.

I just picked up used Fitzwilliam/Decca set at Amazon sellers $11.50..........

[George]

..... if you must buy a complete set .....do try to make it the Borodin Quartet--either the 2nd or 1st cycle of them. The latter, recorded before the last two quartets had been
composed and thus "pre-complete", is on Chandos Historical and can be had for about $21,-, E25,- or 12 quid (link US, link Germany, link UK).

It's simply not worth saving $10 or $20 on DSCH Quartets and not ending up with the Borodin's 2nd cycle.

Seconded on all counts! 

[Dana]

Let's roll and see... no sorry.

My Spirit Druid casts Curse! The likelihood of your opinion being bad is now increased by 45%.

[Henk]

 Same here! This is one of the best purchases I have made recently.  It's been mentioned before. It bears repeating, again, and again and again  ! :

 

 marvin

 

Is this another recording then the other borodin set available (recorded in the 80s) as shown below?

[Herman]

The upper (Cubistic cover pic) is the 1 - 15 recording made around 1980, with Kopelman on 1st violin. As I reported years ago, I think that recording is preferable in the last four or five quartets. In the earlier recording, on Chandos, one hears the more recent works haven't yet fully settled in (apart from the fact that this box lacks the last two quartets. The Borodin recordings for Virgin / Teldec should be avoided IMHO.

[DFO]

Besides Borodin and Beethoven SQ, there are other Russian recordings of Shosta.SQ. I've one for the Glinka SQ, another by the Leningrad-Taneyev SQ, and a rarity: No.3 by an ad-hoc ensamble:Julian Sitkovetsky, A,Sharoyev, Rudolph Barshai and Yakov Slobotnik.

[jlaurson]

The upper (Cubistic cover pic) is the 1 - 15 recording made around 1980, with Kopelman on 1st violin. As I reported years ago, I think that recording is preferable in the last four or five quartets. In the earlier recording, on Chandos, one hears the more recent works haven't yet fully settled in (apart from the fact that this box lacks the last two quartets. The Borodin recordings for Virgin / Teldec should be avoided IMHO.

Well, the last quartets included on that disc may not have settled... the very last two quartets hadn't even been written. So the set is pre-complete. (As opposed to incomplete.) :-)

Agree that the Virgin recordings don't live up to the previous reached quality at all.

[Dana]

The Borodin recordings for Virgin / Teldec should be avoided IMHO.

Yeah. They're not bad, but the competition is much better.

[karlhenning]

Hey, our loonie was actually worth more than your greenback for about 5 seconds! 

I think it was an entire weekend . . . .

[karlhenning]

(Say, where was Bernie Madoff that weekend? . . .)

[karlhenning]

If the Emerson recording of the Shostakovich quartets is a failure, the musical world could do with more failure, and lots of it.

[ChamberNut]

If the Emerson recording of the Shostakovich quartets is a failure, the musical world could do with more failure, and lots of it.

Well said, Karl!  Even though I am not enthusiastic about that set, but pretty much everything else I've heard from ESQ.

I acknowledge that on an overall basis, their recordings of DSCH quartets are one of the most highly regarded.

[snyprrr]

I actually quite liked the Manhattan SQ for the earlier SQs, up to about 10-11. I think they have the absolute best 4-5 that I have heard.

The Shostakovich SQ on Olympia was my go to.

The old Borodin/EMI for the later SQs...

And the Emerson wasn't so bad. They were all recorded live, which is commendable. Compare their 4-5 with the Manhattan and you will see how I feel about the Manhattan here.

I never liked SQs 2-3, or No.8.

[karlhenning]

Well said, Karl!   Even though I am not enthusiastic about that set, but pretty much everything else I've heard from ESQ.

I acknowledge that on an overall basis, their recordings of DSCH quartets are one of the most highly regarded.

Anyway, dismissals of the Emerson Quartet generally begin, "Although their performance is technically flawless . . ." which sounds to me a bit like, "Other quartets play it somewhat like the Orange County Chamber Society . . . ."

Je-je-je  

[LapsangS]

Manhattan String Quartet

[DarkAngel]

Manhattan String Quartet

Can you compare those in style to other well known sets................

You were right on the money with you Mozart piano concerto call, what a great find that was!

[snyprrr]

I'll just say that the Manhattan SQ's recordings are very crisp and present, and that they are able to convey the requisite brutality (and beauty), but in such a way as not to be grinding to the ear (perhaps this is also due to the very well managed recording, again).

I do not say that there is any thinness in the performance or recording, but the textures have very pencil-like clarity that works wonders on 2-5, Like I said, I have not heard a recording yet (Borodin, Shostakovich, Fitzwilliam, Naxos, St. Petersberg/SONY, Emerson, Beethoven, bRODSKY etc...) that matches this recorded performance, in terms of sonic beauty, quartets 4-5; and I dooo consider these two quartets Shosty's masterpieces of the earlier quartets (anyone care to argue the point?). Also, No.6 gets sterling treatment.

i MAY HAVE TO PUT THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE BACK ON MY LIST. i SUGGEST anyone OUT THERE TO GET THE mANHATTAN'S dsch 4-5 (ugh, caps again...).

I will extend their kudos to 7-10, No.9 being a standout (obviously, you can take whom you want in No.8!).



I give no indication in the Late Quartets, since everyone has at least five versions anyway. They are as fine as the rest of the series, but I'm one of those who would recommend you try a few different versions of these SQs (Shostakovich on Olympia is my first choice for 12-14).

No.15 is special to me. I'm currently contemplating Ma, Kremer, and co. on Sony, though I fear it will have that claustrophobic sound. I also enjoyed the issue "Endgames" by the Brodskys, where they pair the last SQs by Beethoven and Shostakovich. That's an interesting read. Are there any other single issues of this one? (I know there's another Kremer version on ECM, is there not?... oh, no, that 13-14, right?)

I do wish I had taken notes back then, but I can tell you that I ended up with the Shostakovich/Olympia, the Manhattans, and the Brodskys (and, of course, the Borodin inb the background reference). After that, I ended up with the Emerson for a few years, just to have somethging to listen to, but I can't recommend any single particular SQ from them, though they, of course, do the "brutal" thing great (7,8,9,10,11,15).

I know I cracked open every new Shosty SQ issue when it came out, back in the day, but I can't think of any others that I remember.

Whew!

[Herman]

No.15 is special to me. I'm currently contemplating Ma, Kremer, and co. on Sony, though I fear it will have that claustrophobic sound. I also enjoyed the issue "Endgames" by the Brodskys, where they pair the last SQs by Beethoven and Shostakovich. That's an interesting read. Are there any other single issues of this one? (I know there's another Kremer version on ECM, is there not?... oh, no, that 13-14, right?)

The usual Yo-Yo-Ma crowd in DSCH 15? I think I could live without that one.

As I recall the Borodin Qt used to perform a pretty lugubrious program back in the eighties, early nineties, consisting of LvB 132 and DSCH 15. They'd have a big candle stand on the stage, and exstinguish the flames at the end of the Shostakovich piece (also as a way to forestall applause, I guess).

[DarkAngel]

Snyprrr & Lampsang

Thanks for the heads up for Manhatten SQ, the single Cds are extremely cheap at Amazon USA most under $2 so I ordered
3 Cds and if they work out well I shall obtain the balance



Like many here I like the Borodin SQ for the authentic Russian feel they present, just like for the symphonies hard for western
conductors to match Mravinsky, Kondrashin etc