Shostakovich String Quartets

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Yesterday I finished my first traversal of Borodin II. I was barely able to "put down" these gripping performances, and hardly listened to anything else all week.  My immediate instinct is to start again from the beginning and listen through a second time. And now I have Fitzwilliam and Pacifica sitting on my desk, unopened. Maybe I'll give the Pacifica a shot. Decisions, decisions...

I typically like to have the residuals from a particular performance (or in this case performances) out of my memory before I begin anew with an alternate version of the same work. I fear it might downgrade the experience into a "performance competition" rather than simple listening. Sometimes I've found that false conclusions arise. Dunno...just thinking out loud...ignore me.

[Brahmsian]

Yesterday I finished my first traversal of Borodin II. I was barely able to "put down" these gripping performances, and hardly listened to anything else all week.  My immediate instinct is to start again from the beginning and listen through a second time. And now I have Fitzwilliam and Pacifica sitting on my desk, unopened. Maybe I'll give the Pacifica a shot. Decisions, decisions...

Hi Joe, very happy to hear you are enjoying the Borodin II set! 

[NJ Joe]

I typically like to have the residuals from a particular performance (or in this case performances) out of my memory before I begin anew with an alternate version of the same work. I fear it might downgrade the experience into a "performance competition" rather than simple listening. Sometimes I've found that false conclusions arise. Dunno...just thinking out loud...ignore me.

Good point, and I agree. It's happened to me as well.

[NJ Joe]

Hi Joe, very happy to hear you are enjoying the Borodin II set! 

Immensely!

[SonicMan46]

Well, I'm still debating on obtaining another set of these Shosty SQs - I'm really leaning toward the Pacifica Quartet and willing to buy the four 2-CD sets - I owned previously the Borodins (first set before completion) - did not like the dated sound - so for those who have listened to both the Borodin II w/ all works vs. the Pacifica performances (and not wanting to buy both), what are the recommendations - of course, I know they will be mixed, but I want modern sound.  Thanks - Dave

[kishnevi]

Well, I'm still debating on obtaining another set of these Shosty SQs - I'm really leaning toward the Pacifica Quartet and willing to buy the four 2-CD sets - I owned previously the Borodins (first set before completion) - did not like the dated sound - so for those who have listened to both the Borodin II w/ all works vs. the Pacifica performances (and not wanting to buy both), what are the recommendations - of course, I know they will be mixed, but I want modern sound.  Thanks - Dave

Borodin II, unless you're interested in the non Shostakovich works included in the Pacifica set.  On the Borodin side,  a recording of the Piano Quintet is included,  with a guy name Richter tickling the ivories.  Does a decent job, too.      I had no quarrel with the sonics.

to quote myself from a few days ago:

The Pacifica cycle, for me,  is valuable mostly for the non-DSCH works  included.   For instance (and it is true that while I've obviously heard DSCH's 13-15 a number of times, and never heard the Schnittke before today) it was the Schnittke Third Quartet that seemed the best part of Pacifica's fourth installment when I gave it a first listen today.

[jlaurson]

Well, I'm still debating on obtaining another set of these Shosty SQs - I'm really leaning toward the Pacifica Quartet and willing to buy the four 2-CD sets - I owned previously the Borodins (first set before completion) - did not like the dated sound - so for those who have listened to both the Borodin II w/ all works vs. the Pacifica performances (and not wanting to buy both), what are the recommendations - of course, I know they will be mixed, but I want modern sound.  Thanks - Dave

Uffda. If Borodin I doesn't do it for you, and even though Borodin II has improved sonics that don't bother me at all (I've come to expect a little grit from that end in many of my DSCH recordings, perversely), it's still not a modern sound... And then I suppose the rational thing is to recommend Pacifica. Well, Jerusalem, if they were working on their cycle, which I am not sure they are (at least not on HMU). But Pacifica you will not have any qualms about the sound and if you want Borodin-style, you've got that or had that... and now you have a slightly more secure and cleaner (but not as polished---to a fault, perhaps---as Mandelring) set of renditions, but still heartfelt and with guts and gore.

[The new erato]

Uffda.

As a Norwegian I can relate to that.

[jlaurson]

As a Norwegian I can relate to that.

Ja, det kanne du.  God jul og Godt Nyttar til deg.

Ska vi skriva på Svenska här, eller hur?
Var kan vi reportera dåliga grammatik?

Men jeg kan ikke skrive svensk. Og jeg viller ikke. Etter tre Ar in Oslo, jeg kan bare leser "Lille Larven aldri mett". :-(

[The new erato]

Det samme til deg!

[North Star]

Ska vi skriva på Svenska här, eller hur?
Var kan vi reportera dåliga grammatik?

[The new erato]

En gramatikklagare (aka Grammar Grumble)?

[Karl Henning]

... And then I suppose the rational thing is to recommend Pacifica.

Completely rational, and (in my case, anyway) just a shade of sentiment.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Danel: Not up there, for you, among these??

+1

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderling again. (Mandelring) 

Maybe a name change would help straighten all this out.

Might help CD Universe.

[kishnevi]

Uffda. If Borodin I doesn't do it for you, and even though Borodin II has improved sonics that don't bother me at all (I've come to expect a little grit from that end in many of my DSCH recordings, perversely), it's still not a modern sound...

My knowledge of Russian is only slightly better than my knowledge of Norwegian (ie, non existent),  but my copies of both the Kondrashin symphony cycle and the Borodin II cycle  clearly give a copyright date of 2012, and no other, with copyright belonging to the Shostakovich estate and Melodiya.  Is it possible they've been remastered? 

[SonicMan46]

My knowledge of Russian is only slightly better than my knowledge of Norwegian (ie, non existent),  but my copies of both the Kondrashin symphony cycle and the Borodin II cycle  clearly give a copyright date of 2012, and no other, with copyright belonging to the Shostakovich estate and Melodiya.  Is it possible they've been remastered?

Well All!  Despite not understanding the jibberish in a number of the recent posts -   I went ahead and ordered Borodin II from Amazon MP - there were two offerings but I went w/ the Melodiya recordings (which seemed to have escalated in price after my order!) - hope that this was a good choice -

[The new erato]

My knowledge of Russian is only slightly better than my knowledge of Norwegian (ie, non existent),  but my copies of both the Kondrashin symphony cycle and the Borodin II cycle  clearly give a copyright date of 2012, and no other, with copyright belonging to the Shostakovich estate and Melodiya.  Is it possible they've been remastered?

They are AFAIK.

[Herman]

I have had the Borodin I and Borodin II for a long time.

I may consider the Pacifica at some point, just to hear another interp.

Not for the "sound". As far as I can hear the Borodin II was recorded at a point in time that is in no way inferior to our current time.

It's just four fiddles. Late analogue is a perfect medium.

[NJ Joe]

BTW, the pianist on the Borodin Quintet is Richter.

I bypassed the Quintet on my first round of listening to the complete quartets, however, I played it last night during my second round and was blown away!  What a gem. Now I can't get past it without hitting repeat. 

[Brahmsian]

I bypassed the Quintet on my first round of listening to the complete quartets, however, I played it last night during my second round and was blown away!  What a gem. Now I can't get past it without hitting repeat.

I'm joining you Joe, and breaking out the Bovine!! 

Shostakovich

Two pieces for Strings Octet, Op. 11

Borodin Quartet and Prokofiev Quartet

Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57

Borodin Quartet
Richter, piano

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