Taneyev Quartet plays Shostakovich

[Tapiola]

I have just embarked on a first traversal of the Shostakovich quartets as performed and recorded by the Taneyev Quartet, an ensemble generally granted the second performances of DSCH's quartets (with the Beethoven Quartet, of course, being given the premieres of all of them (save 1 and 15)). The recordings date from 1968-78, are all (very well) recorded in the Glinka Hall, Leningrad. The set itself was released by Aulos in 2006 and is almost literally, and inexplicably - given its quality and historical value - unobtainable in physical form.

I have only listened so far to Quartet no 1 and Quartet no 6, two of my favourites and comparatively "sunny" - with dark undercurrents - in comparison with the others. But what an unsettling experience listening to the Taneyevs has been.

None of the beefy textures of other Russian quartets such as the Borodins or Shostakoviches, no striving for smooth tonal blend or a rapprochement with the past, as can be heard from the Beethoven Quartet. Textures are thin and wiry, as are the Fitzwilliam Quartet, but the effect is very different. The intense emotion of the Taneyevs seems compressed and compacted - and above all "icy", somehow making the music more harrowing. The Fitzwilliams have more "air" about them. The Taneyev's playing also seems imbued with an intense yet indefinable Russianness very different to the Beethovens, Borodins and Shostakoviches.

The Taneyevs' interpretations and sound have taken me quite by surprise and it feels like I am hearing these works for the first time. A real ear-opener of a set. Even from the outset, the Quartet No 1 is the antithesis of easy listening.

Does anyone else know the Taneyev set? I'd be most interested to hear other views.

[richardfinegold]

I have just embarked on a first traversal of the Shostakovich quartets as performed and recorded by the Taneyev Quartet, an ensemble generally granted the second performances of DSCH's quartets (with the Beethoven Quartet, of course, being given the premieres of all of them (save 1 and 15)). The recordings date from 1968-78, are all (very well) recorded in the Glinka Hall, Leningrad. The set itself was released by Aulos in 2006 and is almost literally, and inexplicably - given its quality and historical value - unobtainable in physical form.

I have only listened so far to Quartet no 1 and Quartet no 6, two of my favourites and comparatively "sunny" - with dark undercurrents - in comparison with the others. But what an unsettling experience listening to the Taneyevs has been.

None of the beefy textures of other Russian quartets such as the Borodins or Shostakoviches, no striving for smooth tonal blend or a rapprochement with the past, as can be heard from the Beethoven Quartet. Textures are thin and wiry, as are the Fitzwilliam Quartet, but the effect is very different. The intense emotion of the Taneyevs seems compressed and compacted - and above all "icy", somehow making the music more harrowing. The Fitzwilliams have more "air" about them. The Taneyev's playing also seems imbued with an intense yet indefinable Russianness very different to the Beethovens, Borodins and Shostakoviches.

The Taneyevs' interpretations and sound have taken me quite by surprise and it feels like I am hearing these works for the first time. A real ear-opener of a set. Even from the outset, the Quartet No 1 is the antithesis of easy listening.

Does anyone else know the Taneyev set? I'd be most interested to hear other views.

I thought the Borodins usually got the Second Performances. I am not familiar with the Taneyev performances.

[Tapiola]

I thought the Borodins usually got the Second Performances. I am not familiar with the Taneyev performances.

Hi Richard,

I had to check this, from Elizabeth Wilson's "Shostakovich: A Life Remembered", p443:

Starting with his Fourth Quartet, Shostakovich used to send us the scores of his quartets regularly, giving us permission to perform them immediately after the Beethoven Quartet had played the premiere in the Small Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic. Vladimir Ovcharek, leader of Taneyev Quartet.

Not explicit, I grant you...

[Bryn]

The Taneyevs certainly premiered the 15th.

[jayne lee wilson]

I bought this DSCH/Taneyev Qt. set around the time it was released in its luxuriously heavy turquoise-blue slipcase, following up an interest in the Aulos label - I'd previously bought the Kondrashin DSCH Symphonies and Svetlanov's 1965 Tchaikovsky Cycle on the same label and been riveted by the DSD-remastered (originally Melodiya) sound.
They are genuinely limited editions so no wonder they're hard to find now.

I played nothing but these Taneyev readings for weeks afterward and have never felt like buying another since. They had an uncompromising authority, severe, precise and intense. Sonically very fine too- not too close (common failing with quartet tapings), lovely stage depth, and catching the natural colours of the instruments beautifully, with a seamless blend and separation. (No.2 is playing now, the waltz, sounding even better than I recalled - these players can relax or go tongue-in-cheek when the music asks them to).

Previously I'd lived with the various Borodins (including my own Radio 3 FM tapings), Fitzwilliam, and the Quatuor Danel. I've not listened to this repertoire much for a few years, so can't really make specific observations - but if I wanted to hear it again, there'd only be one choice - every time.

(here it is, unavailably, of course.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich...aneyev+quartet
Don't hesitate if you find one!

[Tapiola]

The Taneyevs certainly premiered the 15th.

Yes, indeed, and the recording of the 15th here is dated a month after the 15 November premiere.

[LeMartinPecheur]

ISonically very fine too- not too close (common failing with quartet tapings), lovely stage depth, and catching the natural colours of the instruments beautifully, with a seamless blend and separation. (No.2 is playing now, the waltz, sounding even better than I recalled - these players can relax or go tongue-in-cheek when the music asks them to).

jlw: how close is too close?? For years I'd tended to listen to quartets from a 'safe' distance, say halfway back in a smallish hall. But friendship with someone who likes to be close to the point of the bow has rather changed my view!

From very early days c.1975 I'd strongly objected to quartet recordings that made a SQ sound like a very small string orch (some of the early vols in the Decca Aeolian Haydn series eg).

I know tastes in str 4tet recording vary a lot, but could you be more specific?

[richardfinegold]

Hi Richard,

I had to check this, from Elizabeth Wilson's "Shostakovich: A Life Remembered", p443:

Starting with his Fourth Quartet, Shostakovich used to send us the scores of his quartets regularly, giving us permission to perform them immediately after the Beethoven Quartet had played the premiere in the Small Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic. Vladimir Ovcharek, leader of Taneyev Quartet.

Not explicit, I grant you...

I no longer own the book, but Rostislav Dubinsky, the former leader of the Borodins, stated in his book that the only reason the Borodins didn't get the first performance of most of the Quartets was that the Beethoven Qt was so favored by the party apparatchiks, but that DSCH himself told the Bordins he would rather have them premiere his works.
Someone's fibbin.

[richardfinegold]

The Taneyevs certainly premiered the 15th.

That was after Dubinsky had defected and the Beethoven Quartet had had a few of their players go to the great Dacha in the Sky...

[jayne lee wilson]

jlw: how close is too close?? For years I'd tended to listen to quartets from a 'safe' distance, say halfway back in a smallish hall. But friendship with someone who likes to be close to the point of the bow has rather changed my view!

From very early days c.1975 I'd strongly objected to quartet recordings that made a SQ sound like a very small string orch (some of the early vols in the Decca Aeolian Haydn series eg).

I know tastes in str 4tet recording vary a lot, but could you be more specific?

Perhaps a bit difficult without sharing a listening session LMP...?

"Halfway back in a smallish hall" wouldn't be a bad description for this Taneyev perspective...
D'you know any of the MDG Gold CDs of the Leipzigers in Schoenberg, Brahms, Mendelssohn? That's a balance I admire very much - still with warmth and intimacy, but allowing a little more space and resonance for dynamics to grow without pressuring the attentive ear too much...

The Skampa Quartet's Janacek on Supraphon isn't a bad recording at all, but you feel they went in a little too close (perhaps out of acoustic necessity) and dried out the instruments a bit. Tends to reduce your range of volume settings too.
Listening to something like the late-60s Juilliards in Beethoven, it remains enjoyable, but I always longed for more space around a String Quartet and was delighted to find it on MDG - and even more surprised by the Melodiya-sourced DSCH/Taneyev...

(As for FM Lunchtime Concerts - don't get me started...there I was with an SA-X, puzzling over levels...)

[Tapiola]

I no longer own the book, but Rostislav Dubinsky, the former leader of the Borodins, stated in his book that the only reason the Borodins didn't get the first performance of most of the Quartets was that the Beethoven Qt was so favored by the party apparatchiks, but that DSCH himself told the Bordins he would rather have them premiere his works.
Someone's fibbin.

Yes, in the Wilson book there is something similar, when Edison Denisov is cited, saying that DSCH would like to have given the 4th's premiere to the Borodins but that the Beethovens had said that this would result in a break in relations. Elsewhere in the book, Valentin Berlinsky and Rostropovich both, separately, speak of DSCH's loyalty to the first performers of his works.

[kea]

The unavailability of almost all of the Taneyev Quartet's recordings is a mystery to me—imo they are the finest Soviet string quartet. In addition to this now-unavailable Shostakovich set (which along with the first Borodin traversal should be a reference) they did complete sets of the Beethoven and Schubert string quartets, only available now as MP3 downloads I think, and a recording of the Schubert String Quintet with Mstislav Rostropovich that was only ever released on LP but is unmatched in intensity and depth of feeling. Their sets of the Myaskovsky quartets as well as the complete chamber music of their namesake S.I. Taneyev are, for some works, the only recordings available, which I guess is why they're still in the catalogue. But they deserve better.

[Dave2002]

The unavailability of almost all of the Taneyev Quartet's recordings is a mystery to me—imo they are the finest Soviet string quartet. In addition to this now-unavailable Shostakovich set (which along with the first Borodin traversal should be a reference) they did complete sets of the Beethoven and Schubert string quartets, only available now as MP3 downloads I think, and a recording of the Schubert String Quintet with Mstislav Rostropovich that was only ever released on LP but is unmatched in intensity and depth of feeling. Their sets of the Myaskovsky quartets as well as the complete chamber music of their namesake S.I. Taneyev are, for some works, the only recordings available, which I guess is why they're still in the catalogue. But they deserve better.

Here are some of the Taneyev's recordings available in the UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?in...usukenmusic-21 and there is a complete set of Beethoven quartets from amazon USA for around 70$. There is a good mp3 or aac set of all the major and some lesser known Schubert quartets (i.e. almost complete) available at a reaonable price either from amazon uk or iTunes Apple store (under £10) respectively.