Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.


or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

String Quartets

New Vienna String Quartet (Artist) | Format: Audio CD
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 25.30 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Wednesday, May 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details
Disc: 1
1. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op.7: 1. Nicht zu rasch
2. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op.7: 2. Kräftig (Nicht zu rasch)
3. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op.7: 3. Mäßig (Langsame Viertel)
4. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op.7: 4. Mäßig (Heiter)
5. String Quartet No. 2, Op.10: 1. Mäßig
6. String Quartet No. 2, Op.10: 2. Sehr rasch
7. String Quartet No. 2, Op.10: 3. Litanei (Langsam)
8. String Quartet No. 2, Op.10: 4. Entrückung (Sehr Lagsam)
Disc: 2
1. String Quartet No. 3, Op.30: Moderato
2. String Quartet No. 3, Op.30: Adagio
3. String Quartet No. 3, Op.30: Intermezzo
4. String Quartet No. 3, Op.30: Rondo
5. String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Allegro Molto
6. String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Comodo
7. String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Largo
8. String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Allegro

Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, very cheap Oct 31 2001
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
This is far from the best recording of the Schoenberg quartets. The Arditti Quartet put out a spectacular reading of this; the LaSalle Quartet also put out some great readings. My favorite is the Juilliard Quartet, but you can't get that on CD. However, for the price, this CD is very hard to beat. The new Vienna Quartet really knows how to play Schoenberg well, and here you get two CDs for the price of one. So, go for it, especially if you are unfamiliar with Schoenberg..his chamber music provides a great representation of what this man was about. Incidentally, ignore the earlier review that gives this one star - that person has no clue what good 20th century music is.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful rendition of some sadly underplayed masterpieces April 19 2004
By Michael Newman
Format:Audio CD
Schoenberg's quartets are a good survey of his development as a composer. The early two quartets are tonal and late-romantic in style. They are accessible, full of pathos and contrapuntally dense. The last two quartets are in the full twelve-tone style of Schoenberg's mature period. These are also wonderful, but in a very different way. Full of interesting shapes and colors, like a Kandinsky painting. The performances here are top-notch, and render this potentially difficult music with great naturalness and feeling. Difficult listening, but very rewarding.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars A Revolutionary in Method, a Conservative in Tone July 11 2002
By Karl Henning
Format:Audio CD
Although Schoenberg developed a revolutionary new method of organizing pitch, what is often overlooked is that serialism is just exactly that: a method of organizing pitch, and not a style per se. A variety of styles can be accomodated by this method. Folks who are a little gun-shy of serialism (or its aesthetic shadow) are sometimes caught up short when they actually listen to Schoenberg's music. For the fact is, all through his journey of exploring how pitch should be organized in a composition, which made him something of a revolutionary, stylistically he was always post-Romantic in temperament - which, ironically, made him something of a dinosaur to serial idealogues in the 1950s, such as Pierre Boulez.

In a way which invites comparison to Bartók's six, Schoenberg's four quartets span his career. The striking thing, perhaps, is how unified they are in "voice," despite the composer's epochal adventures in How to Organize Pitch. These pieces are seldom performed by string quartets in the states, and it is difficult to see why, since in many respects, they are no harder on the ears than the Bartók quartets, which enjoy a solid berth in chamber recitals.

The first movement of the third quartet plays itself out in a very scherzando vein; it may even strike some as strangely cheerful in activity, considering its acerbic chromaticism.

The third movement of the fourth quartet is, simply, beautiful. If anyone wonders if Schoenberg was capable of writing beautiful music, this Largo is quite possibly the strongest case pro.

There is a restlessness to the music, it is always surging ... somewhere. So I am not sure that it can be my favorite music in the world; but it is well made, perfectly suited to the medium of the string quartet, and there are often passages of beauty which startle with their strangeness.

Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Want to see more reviews on this item?

    Your Shopping Cart is empty.

    Give it purpose—fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics, and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    View Cart (0 items)

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback

      Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

      Amazon.ca Privacy Statement Amazon.ca Shipping Information Amazon.ca Returns & Exchanges