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Product Description
BBC Music Magazine
These dark, nervous, sinewy performances will surprise listeners conditioned to think of Debussy and Ravel's string quartets as wistful, fragile, watercolour impressions - strong emotions kept at a decent distance. Perhaps they strain the point on occasions - the big pizzicato chords at the start of Ravel's finale sound like repeated hammer-blows; and don't expect the Italian Quartet's suave pianissimos. But there are many other places where the power, even the ferocity are confirmed by the score: the accents that launch Debussy's Quartet are often toned down, even by the generally excellent Italians; not here though - and yes, the climax of the first movement of the Ravel really is marked fff. What makes it all convincing is the control - technically, and in the way musical paragraphs are shaped. It gives the interpretation a tremendous inner authority, and the depth of feeling in the slow movement of the Ravel comes as a very welcome surprise - as though it's always been there, latent in the music, but never released like this before. The Stravinsky pieces, too, are startlingly vibrant - not the dull exercises they often seem, and an illuminating coupling for the two French quartets.
Sound *****
Sound *****
© BBC Music Magazine 2001
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glorious, 23 July 2010
By G.D. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Debussy; Ravel; Stravinsky - String Quartets (Audio CD)
I am not completely sure these performances are unassailable, but I cannot think of any more rewarding, glowingly presented version of this rather common coupling. The Alban Berg quartet plays with a security and almost visionary grasp of the structure of the works, and even though they prioritize precision over poignancy, the playing is imbued with a warmth, polished sheen and a golden hue that is almost breathtaking in its beauty. I can, perhaps, see how some listeners might prefer a slightly more overtly romantic approach to the Debussy (in Ravel the approach is beyond reproach and thoroughly idiomatic), but even those listeners should be forced to hear this more restrained version and might very possibly change their minds.
The players are, as expected, especially successful in the faster movements (in particular the scherzi and finales), but even the slow movements are wonderful - the slightly emotionally detached approach tends to create almost dreamlike, wistful atmospheres rather than plumbing any existential depth, but I don't think that is to the detriment of the musical or artistic experience. The breath of fresh air that is the Stravinsky is less of a surprise after the Alban Berg's crystalline rendition of the final movement of the Ravel than one might have expected, and they render these relatively slight pieces with a wholly appropriate freshness and crispness. The sound quality is generally wonderful if a little close. Very strongly recommended.
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