Str Qrts

Pairing Debussy and Ravel in their only string quartets is a cliche by now, and buyers have a wide range of choice. In terms of sheer virtuosity, no one has excelled the Alban Berg Qt., (EMI), who play with seamless technique and gleaming tone. but it all osunds a bit too efficient and impersonal. There's more atmosphere in the version by the Tokyo Qt., among others.

I listened to half a dozen recordings before settling on this one from the Quartetto Italiano (they were together for so long that you can get their historic mono recording of the smae music on EMI). The Quartetto doesn't try to sound airy, diaphanous, or particularly French. Instead, they give a presonal, uniquely phrased version that sounds as if each player is responding from deep feelings about the music. That's rare in performances of Debussy and Ravel, where the syle is more or less locked in. The miking is quite close, and although they lack the sheen of the Bertg Qt, the Quartetto Italiano deserve their reputaiton for making beautiful sounds.

From the opening bars of Debussy's thrilling string quartet, it's clear this is a special date that fully deserves its inclusion in the Phillips Great Recordings series. The music is so immediate, so exciting and perpetually inventive, the playing so united and muscular, it really nudges perfection.

This goes equally for the Ravel quartet, routinely coupled with Debussy. It's no real surprise the two works are often placed side by side - Debussy implored Ravel "by the Gods of music not to change a thing" to his quartet, so the mutual admiration was certainly there! Despite surface similarities, however, the two are really very distinct works and Quartetto Italiano, here at their absolute peak, brings each to luminous life.

The close mikes, while perhaps a bit annoying for some, to these ears brings a sense of intimate warmth and immediacy.

Very highly recommended.

The Julliard Quartet's readings of these famous quartets from the early days of stereo were reference recordings for decades. I owned them on vinyl for more than 30 years and never thought to make a change until the advent of cd, when I opted for the Guarneri Quartet's coupling. I was never really satisfied with the Guarneri's romantically-inclined approach, so a while back I bought the Vlach Quartet's disc, recorded in 1959 and still available on Supraphon. As it turns out, I wasn't very happy with their readings either (just not atmospheric enough) so I went shopping again and decided to purchase this Quartetto Italiano recording which has been around for over 40 years.

From the opening bars, Quartetto Italiano distinguish themselves as eminent interpretors of Debussy. Their phrasing emphasizes the oceanic swell of this music in a completely convincing way - listening to the samples, even though brief, will give you an idea of what I mean. The Ravel quartet also receives an outstanding treatment: atmospheric, rythmically secure and supple.

The sound is quite up front and while some may think the close miking is a little harsh (the Classics Today reviewer, to be specific, thinks so), I find it very appealing.

Very highly recommended!