- Audio CD (Sep 11 2007)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Marquis Classics
- ASIN: B000WCBPPU
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #105,759 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Details |
Track Listings
| 1. Allegretto |
| 2. Moderato Con Moto |
| 3. Allegro Non Troppo |
| 4. Adagio |
| 5. Moderato |
| 6. Allegro Calmo Senza Rigore |
| 7. Vivace |
| 8. Chacony |
Product Description
Review
"...the quartet demonstrates not just complete mastery over all technical difficulties, but a maturity of interpretation beyond their years. The emotional complexities of this music are not lost on the Jupiters; they rise to the challenge with a rich and subltle palette of colours" -- Opus
"String quartets, like fine wines, get better with age; the Jupiters are a very fine vintage indeed." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"The Jupiter Quartet offer an unforgettable performance...the pleasure they take in one another's musical company was palpable...they told its [Shostakovich Quartet #3] story and communicated the composer's passionate emotions and bleak worldview." -- The Boston Globe
"The recording is clear and precise allowing you to hear every inspiration of composer and performer alike..." -- ArkivMusic
"[Benjamin Britten's Chaconne] is one of the most powerful in the literature. This movement alone, beautifully played here, is worth the disc." -- The Globe and Mail
"String quartets, like fine wines, get better with age; the Jupiters are a very fine vintage indeed." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"The Jupiter Quartet offer an unforgettable performance...the pleasure they take in one another's musical company was palpable...they told its [Shostakovich Quartet #3] story and communicated the composer's passionate emotions and bleak worldview." -- The Boston Globe
"The recording is clear and precise allowing you to hear every inspiration of composer and performer alike..." -- ArkivMusic
"[Benjamin Britten's Chaconne] is one of the most powerful in the literature. This movement alone, beautifully played here, is worth the disc." -- The Globe and Mail
Product Description
This is the debut recording by the multi-award-winning Jupiter String Quartet. Their recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 3 and Benjamin Britten's String Quartet No. 2, captures two of the most musically powerful reflections of the dark chaos of the World War II era. The JSQ interpret the quartets with profound insight and a breathtaking verve.
"The Jupiter has a unique sound, a special Jupiter Quartet sound....they feed off each other, and raise each other to a higher level. They have something to say." - Barry Shiffman, Director of Music, Banff Centre
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5.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music For Our Times
Feb 10 2008
By Marsha
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
I heard this group play the Britten on NPR. As on NPR, on this CD the Jupiter Quartet captures the emotionality of the piece with virtuousity that only comes from the soul. Each instrument has a voice of it's own, yet they work together flawlessly to create a rich and unified sound. The Shostakovitch could not be played better this side of Moscow. The pain of the composer's oppression is palpable in every movement. One can hear the KGB knocking at the door. You won't regret buying this CD because it is a perfect pairing of modern pieces whose themes are as relevant today as in the mid-20th century when they were composed.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A spectacular CD from a rising young American quartet
Jan 11 2008
By Santa Fe Listener
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
I wish this wonderful group had a more evocative name, but the Boston-based Jupiter Qt. is making a splash, winning prizes and being invited to join the prestigious Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. This pairing of Shostakovich's msot popular and upbeat quartet with Britten's most profound one is a total winner. To begin with, the recorded sound is first rate. String quartets are hard to capture faithfully, but here the close-up, detailed sound is full of weight and gives the music added impact.
The Jupiter Qt. favor the same energetic, fleet, incisve virtuosity in Shostakovich that one hears from the Emerson Qt., and by no means do they suffer by comparison. As with the Emersons, this ensemble doesn't go for depth as do the Borodin, Beethoven, and Shostakovich Qts., all Russian, of course. (I'm not sure anymore that many of Shostakovich's quartets actually possess lasting depth.) But what gorgeous, clean playing and real unanimity, not to mention perfect intonaiton and technical polish.
By contrast, the Britten Second Quartet, with its 20-minute Chacony inspired by the composer's reaction to the Nazi concentration camps, requires sensitivity and tragic depth from the performers. The first movement is fairly subdued compared to, say, the Amadeus Qt. reading, but the Jupiter is far more technically elegant -- the voicing of the hushed first theme is quite breathtaking. The spooky Scherzo is just as exciting, each member of the group joining in perfect unison in their tone and phrasing -- I've never heard better. As for the heartbreaking, haunting Chacony, here the jupiter add touching eloquence to their impressive gifts. I was moved from the opening bar to the very end and came away believing that this group has a huge future ahead of it. Highly recommended.
The Jupiter Qt. favor the same energetic, fleet, incisve virtuosity in Shostakovich that one hears from the Emerson Qt., and by no means do they suffer by comparison. As with the Emersons, this ensemble doesn't go for depth as do the Borodin, Beethoven, and Shostakovich Qts., all Russian, of course. (I'm not sure anymore that many of Shostakovich's quartets actually possess lasting depth.) But what gorgeous, clean playing and real unanimity, not to mention perfect intonaiton and technical polish.
By contrast, the Britten Second Quartet, with its 20-minute Chacony inspired by the composer's reaction to the Nazi concentration camps, requires sensitivity and tragic depth from the performers. The first movement is fairly subdued compared to, say, the Amadeus Qt. reading, but the Jupiter is far more technically elegant -- the voicing of the hushed first theme is quite breathtaking. The spooky Scherzo is just as exciting, each member of the group joining in perfect unison in their tone and phrasing -- I've never heard better. As for the heartbreaking, haunting Chacony, here the jupiter add touching eloquence to their impressive gifts. I was moved from the opening bar to the very end and came away believing that this group has a huge future ahead of it. Highly recommended.
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