CD Details
Synopsis
Amazon.comOut of Sibelius's four completed string quartets, only one dates from his mature mastery: the dark, intimate Op. 56 "Voces Intimae." By contrast, the A Minor and B-flat major reveal an assured surface style redolent of Dvorák and Tchaikovsky, but laced with original touches that foreshadow the Sibelius to come. The same cannot be said of the 19-year-old composer's well-crafted but derivative, Haydnesque E-flat Quartet. The Sibelius Academy Quartet recorded all four works in the 1980s for Finlandia, and the label eventually compiled these amply engineered, scrupulously prepared, and heartfelt performances for a 1992 double-disc release. Here they are again, but with the Sibelius Academy's "Voces Intimae" replaced by the New Helsinki Quartet's 1998 recording. By and large, the change is not for the better. To be certain, there's much to admire in the New Helsinki's leaner timbre, which imbues the music's contrapuntal give and take with an appropriately austere transparency, similar to the Melos Quartet's excellent version on Harmonia Mundi. At the same time, the Helsinki group's well-played yet essentially soft-grained Scherzo falls short of the Melos's and Sibelius Academy's characterful bite and nervous energy. All the same, listeners who wish to acquire Sibelius's quartet output at Finlandia's reduced two-for-one price won't be disappointed. But where does that leave the Sibelius Academy Quartet's superior "Voces Intimae"? --Jed Distler
Similarly Requested CDs
| |
CD Reviews
Masterful playing, excellent recording Todd Ebert | Long Beach California | 01/10/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "In listening to all four quartets, one can hear a definite evolution of ideas, from the first quartet that is reminiscent of Haydn or Mozart, to the middle quartets which seem to be influenced by the work of Dvorak, and the fourth string quartet "Voces Intimae" (one of my all-time favorite string quartets) which seems quite original and played masterfully by the New Helsinki Quartet. The sound quality also seems quite good. Also, check out the Sibelius Academy Quartet's version of "Voces Intimae" (95851). This was the version I heard that originally compelled me to purchase his quartets." Outstanding performances Todd Ebert | 07/28/2003 (5 out of 5 stars) "This is a really magnificant performance of Sibby's string quartets, especially the last two, which are pretty stunning! Can't recommend it enough."
|