Search - Alexander Borodin, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Sergey Rachmaninov :: Borodin Quartet 60th Anniversary

A Great Collection of Chamber Music

JSK | Olympia/Walla Walla, WA, USA | 05/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It would seem perfectly natural to buy this CD for Borodin's Second Quartet. In my opinion, it is among the greatest works in the repertoire of Romantic period chamber music and the Borodin Quartet shows no dishonor to this wonderful piece of music. However, I believe that the greatest value of this CD lies in its inclusion of several lesser-known chamber music gems. There are two rare works on this CD of particular interest to me. Borodin's Serenata alla Spagnola is an odd work. Throughout much of the short movement the pizzicato (which is reminiscent of a guitar) is very prominent. As far as I know, Borodin did not group the Serenata with any of his other works. The Borodin quartet did not need to include it on the CD as the CD was long enough anyway, but I'm sure glad they did.



I played Webern's Langsamer Satz in school and was quite pleased to find it on CD. Many people do not know Webern's earliest music, which finds itself within the tonal late Romantic tradition, and Langsamer Satz proves that Webern was quite a skilled composer even before his influence by Schoenberg. The Borodin quartet handles this passionate work effectively and with much confidence, while making the textures and overlapping rhythms percise and clear."

Deeply Romantic Performance of Chamber Music Gems

Scriabinmahler | UK | 03/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
This is a well chosen collection of rarely played chamber music masterpieces, all of them highly lyrical and inspired gems, played with plenty of Russian Romanticism and unmatched emotional intensity. Webern's poignantly sweet Langsamersatz has never been played so passionately. Borodin's 2nd Quartet is played a little slower than the EMI version, with much emphasis on the beautiful melodies played by 1st violin. Rachmaninov's Romance and Schubert's Quartettsatz are irresistibly gorgeous."