Search - Maurice Ravel, Darius Milhaud, Alban Berg :: The Polydor Recordings, 1934-35: The Galimir Quartet of Vienna:

A must-have for any serious music lover

09/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Galimir quartet is not a well-known name today, though they were one of the most influential quartets of the first half of this century. The quartet was formed by late Felix Galimir as first violin and his three sisters (Adrienne, Renée and Marguerite). On this disc are gathered all their Polydor recordings of the years 1934-1935 : Ravel's string quartet, Milhaud's quartet no. 7 and Berg's Lyric suite.These are historical performances, not only because of the recording date, but above all because the three works were recorded under supervision of their respective composers. It is even Ravel himself who advised the Galimirs to play faster in the last movement of his quartet. All the works on this CD receive almost definitive performances.Some of you will certainly be reluctant to buy a record dating back to the 1930s, fearing for poor sound quality, but they will be wrong : transfers have been made with great care from original 78s from private collections. By the way, Berg's 78s were rare items owned by conductor Artur Rodzinski. I've heard many mono recordings of the 1940s and even some of the 1950s that sound less good than this CD. OK, this is not full-DDD stereo sound but I find it quite enjoyable to listen to (no static, no tape hiss, no disturbing clicks, etc).All in all, and given the few recordings left by this major quartet (disbanded a few years after these recordings were made), I strongly recommend this CD. It's a must-have in any serious collection."