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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
as a fan of Benjamin Britten's string quartet + chamber music for over a decade now - i have just repurchased this fine cd by the Maggini Qrt on bargain label naxos to compoare with other fine versions by the Endellion Qrt (EMI), Britten Qrt (Collins), Alberni Qrt ((CRD) , Sorrel Qrt (Chandos)+ Belcea Qrt (EMI - to be reviewed). the good news for those on tight budget is that the Maggini Qrt play these beautiful yet austere quartets very well indeed with plenty of poise + insight into this emotionally complex music. i wouldn't place the Maggini's playing here as on a par with the above quartets becuase of a slight lack of expressive depth + poise in places, but this cd is still a fine introduction to these wonderous,elegaic quartets.
the music itself is now thankfully well represented on cd - as it should be as Britten's quartets are some of the most searching + innovative quartets written during the 20th Century. Bartok's + Shostakovich's quartets are deservedly benchmark works yet - i often play the Britten string works including his Phantasy (op.2)+ early string compositions (covered by the Endellion + Sorrel Qrts in their releases) as they're equally as emotionally demanding yet contain perhaps a more rarified sound world full of meldoic fragments, taught writing expressing doubt,longing and loss . a recent purchase of Kurt Weill's String quartet (1923) played by the Brandis Quartet alerts me that the young Britten at the time must have heard Weill's Quartet as his own quartets feature very similar sparse chromatic textures. not easy listening, but easier to approach at first, than that of the Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok or the later Shostakovich quartets.
the first + second quarters and the three divertimenti all contained in this naxos cd vol.1 are strongly recommended for the keen quartet afficianado + curious music fan alike. a far cry from much of the overly nostalgic soundworld of Britten's british contemporaries at the time.
the music itself is now thankfully well represented on cd - as it should be as Britten's quartets are some of the most searching + innovative quartets written during the 20th Century. Bartok's + Shostakovich's quartets are deservedly benchmark works yet - i often play the Britten string works including his Phantasy (op.2)+ early string compositions (covered by the Endellion + Sorrel Qrts in their releases) as they're equally as emotionally demanding yet contain perhaps a more rarified sound world full of meldoic fragments, taught writing expressing doubt,longing and loss . a recent purchase of Kurt Weill's String quartet (1923) played by the Brandis Quartet alerts me that the young Britten at the time must have heard Weill's Quartet as his own quartets feature very similar sparse chromatic textures. not easy listening, but easier to approach at first, than that of the Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok or the later Shostakovich quartets.
the first + second quarters and the three divertimenti all contained in this naxos cd vol.1 are strongly recommended for the keen quartet afficianado + curious music fan alike. a far cry from much of the overly nostalgic soundworld of Britten's british contemporaries at the time.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
beautiful compilation
8 Jan 2004
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
these are splendid performances, warmly and crisply recorded, of some of britten's most inspired pieces. i'm a huge fan of britten's second quartet and particular about how it should be played: the maggini do a wonderful job, combining a crackling technique with expansive lyricism and perfect phrasing; tempos seem just right in every movement. this disc and its companion include the three quartets with britten's divertimento and simple symphony in quartet scoring. my one complaint is that the simple symphony seems to add a double bass player who goes uncredited in the liner notes. both discs are highly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Well worth it
2 Aug 2006
Format:Audio CD
Before purchasing this CD, I had only heard the #2 quartet in concert, and so I'm afraid I cannot offer a comparative review. That said, it seems to me the Maggini Quartet offers all you could reasonably ever want from these works. They combine great elegance with great passion and dynanism. All the strings, including first violin, are sweet and lyrical when called for, and aggressive and trenchant when required. A very "involving" performance, and I've come to love these works and try foisting them on people whenever able.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Splendid accounts
13 Sep 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have already been thoroughly impressed by the Maggini's version of Britten's third quartet, and I am happy to report that the first volume in the series, containing the first two quartets, is equally impressive. Of course, the technical challenges of this music present no challenge to the Magginis, and they respond with wonderful unity of ensemble, incisive attacks and a marvelous range of nuances. Even if the recorded sound they receive lack a little in warmth and presence that hardly detracts from this splendid release. The first quartet is splendidly done and the three Divertimenti contains plenty of vitality. Yet it is in the second quartet that Maggini's really turns a strongly recommended release into a well-neigh mandatory one. Their approach is relatively unfussy and straightforward, but they generate a staggering momentum, full of air and detail, and the final Chaconne is quite magnificent here. I have not heard all the competition in the Britten quartet, of course, and there are some pretty strong names amongst it, but I doubt that anyone will be remotely disappointed by the Maggini versions. Very strongly recommended.
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