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- From: zorro@picasso.ocis.temple.edu (John Grabowski)
- Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
- Subject: Re: Opinions sought: Beethoven's Late String Quartets
- Message-ID: <1992Dec25.214704.26108@cronkite.ocis.temple.edu>
- Date: 25 Dec 92 21:47:04 GMT
- References: <1992Dec21.194805.14256@stortek.com>
- Sender: news@cronkite.ocis.temple.edu (NetWork News (readnews))
- Organization: Temple University
- Lines: 43
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-
- Steve Monroe (v035550@stortek.com) wrote:
- : I am interested in opinions on
- : recordings of Beethoven's "late"
- : string quartets.
-
- : Favourites? recordings to avoid,
- : etc.
-
- : Please post or email response,
- : your choice.
-
- : Many thanks,
-
- : sjm
-
- Can't resist this one... :-)
-
- Possibly my favorite recording in my entire collection is of the Op. 131
- String Quartet transcribed for an entire string orchestra. Conducted by
- Bernstein, with the Vienna Phil., it's not the textbook way to do it, but
- it is nonetheless, a stunning musical experience. Oddly, I'm no Bernstein
- fan (quite the opposite), so it's ironic that my favorite record would be one
- of his. But the original Op. 131-as-orchestra-piece ideas was not his but
- Mitropoulos', so maybe that explains it. (Mitropoulos made a recording in
- the 1940s on 78s that Mr. Bernstein bought as a child and loved.)
-
- As for recordings of the late quartets to avoid, I just bought the boxed set
- on RCA by the Cleveland Quartet and it's a lemon! No expressivity, and, to
- return to Op. 131, they take the scherzo so fast that many notes are missed
- (many notes!). Fortunately, I bought the set from a used record shop, and
- only paid $11, so it's no great loss.
-
- The set was produced by Thomas Z. Shepard, one of the better producers out
- there, which makes the quality all the more puzzling.
-
- A really underrated set of the entire SQ of Beethoven was done many years ago
- by the Pro Arte Quartet. Marvelous readings, incredible virtuosity. Unfor-
- tuately, the records were pressed by Murray Hill, and I think they used melted
- wood shavings for vinyl.
-
- John
- zorro@picasso.ocis.temple.edu
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-