Our Summer BAL 45: Bartok Quartets

[Bryn]

I'm sure they believe in what they're doing, although it obviously doesn't make any audible difference to the audience for a sound recording - what I was questioning was the implication that this feature is necessarily a good thing, as opposed to, well, just a thing. There's a well-known story about Georg Solti being asked why he never conducted from memory, and answering "because I can read the music".

The lack of a need to avoid the noise of page turning would surely ease matters of microphone placement, don't you think?

[Richard Barrett]

The Solti quotation is also attributed to Szell, Klemperer, and others.

Maybe they all said it!

I think the only conclusion to draw is that it works for the people it works for. What I'm trying to say is that performing from memory doesn't necessarily mean that the performer then knows the music better or more deeply than when they didn't. As you say, people generally know the music they play, and if they feel more secure having the music in front of them there's no particular reason to take it away. Mind you, on a vaguely related note, something I don't like to see is those performances of contemporary music where the performer gradually sidles across a line of half a dozen or more music stands. Not long ago I saw a flute player doing this, and, sitting in a front seat as I was, I didn't catch a single glimpse of the flute while the music was being played. These days of course many players are switching over to using an iPad with page-turning pedals.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The lack of a need to avoid the noise of page turning would surely ease matters of microphone placement, don't you think?

To say nothing of that frantic scramble to turn a page mid-"phrase", and the bashing the page down with the edge of the bow as it gently tries to turn itself back to the previous page, where it was quite comfortable, thank you. (Not helped by cheap photocopy paper.)

[Beef Oven!]

Thanks.

It will be interesting to hear your opinion of the Aracadia’s recording on Chandos.

Well I owe you a big thank you for drawing this set to our attention!

I located the set on iTunes streaming and I have been listening intensely to 1, 4 & 5 over the last few days and I've been totally won over. It's a keeper - I've now bought the download from Qobuz for a mere £15.98.

I've never come across these string quartets played so beautifully, warm and romantically. I agree with every single word of Richard Bratby's November Gramophone (previously posted by Bryn). I think he has totally captured what these performances are. Ambivalent or not! I'm not!

I would whole-heartedly recommend these recordings to Bartok nuts and casual listeners alike.

I really look forward to listening to this recording often over the coming weeks. What with last year's Heath Quartet performances and now this, we really are spoilt for choice concerning modern recordings.

Quartet Arcadia.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before (although I couldn't find it in this Thread after a quick look through) but the magnificent Quatuor Diotima's three-disc recording of the Bartok Quartets is "expected to be released" on the 18th January.

https://www.europadisc.co.uk/classical/140537/Bartok_-_Complete_String_Quartets.htm

[Bryn]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before (although I couldn't find it in this Thread after a quick look through) but the magnificent Quatuor Diotima's three-disc recording of the Bartok Quartets is "expected to be released" on the 18th January.

https://www.europadisc.co.uk/classic...g_Quartets.htm

Or https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...4--bela-bartok

or for €19.99 from amazon.fr.

[Beef Oven!]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before (although I couldn't find it in this Thread after a quick look through) but the magnificent Quatuor Diotima's three-disc recording of the Bartok Quartets is "expected to be released" on the 18th January.

https://www.europadisc.co.uk/classic...g_Quartets.htm

Thanks for the heads up on this, ferney

I'm quite partial to Bartók string quartet cycles, so I'll indulge in this one, too!

Quatuor Diotima are an excellent group and IIRC, you (or was it Bryn?) steered me towards their excellent 2VS set.

I need to try to get this as a download, but I don't see it on Qobuz right now

[Beef Oven!]

Or https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...4--bela-bartok

or for €19.99 from amazon.fr.

No download??? It is 2019, isn't it??

[Bryn]

No download??? It is 2019, isn't it??

I'm waiting for QOBUZ. I hope I am not being too, um, Naïve.

[Beef Oven!]

I'm waiting for QOBUZ. I hope I am not being too, um, Naïve.

I briefly waited for the latest Praga Vegh Bartók string quartets to become available on Qobuz, but then gave up and bought the CDs. I may be being naïve, but I'm getting a sense of Déjà vu, Je ne sais pas. Oh well, c'est la vie

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Quatuor Diotima are an excellent group and IIRC, you (or was it Bryn?) steered me towards their excellent 2VS set.

I think that the two of us - as well as ahinton (?and Richard Barrett?) - all waxed lyric suite about that set when it first appeared.

I need to try to get this as a download, but I don't see it on Qobuz right now

Qobuz usually "do" Naive downloads, don't they? (I'm thinking of all those Vivaldi releases.) Perhaps it'll appear nearer the release date?

[Beef Oven!]

I think that the two of us - as well as ahinton (?and Richard Barrett?) - all waxed lyric suite about that set when it first appeared.


Qobuz usually "do" Naive downloads, don't they? (I'm thinking of all those Vivaldi releases.) Perhaps it'll appear nearer the release date?

Ahh, it's pre-order right now. In my excitement I missed this important detail!

Yes, Qobuz 'do' Naïve downloads, so it looks promising.