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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If you only know Dvorak from his "New World" symphony, some of his perhaps lesser-known works also merit investigation. The present set contains his three string quintets, together with his string sextet and Opus 81 piano quintet. These are presented in excellent recordings by members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet with Stephen Kovacevich on piano, on two generously-filled CDs.
The recordings were released between 1968 and 1972 and sound excellent given their age. I would wholeheartedly recommend this set to anyone wanting to investigate chamber music. Incidentally, it was another Dvorak CD that got me into chamber music, which I had previously thought to be a bit boring - how wrong can you be? This is glorious music, so do give it a listen if you get the chance.
The recordings were released between 1968 and 1972 and sound excellent given their age. I would wholeheartedly recommend this set to anyone wanting to investigate chamber music. Incidentally, it was another Dvorak CD that got me into chamber music, which I had previously thought to be a bit boring - how wrong can you be? This is glorious music, so do give it a listen if you get the chance.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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3 reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
The performances and recordings disappoint
18 Dec 2000
Format:Audio CD
This inexpensive two CD set presents four wonderful Dvorak quintets and one sextet. I own the original Philips LP performances of the piano quintet and a late string quintet. The string players did not attain those idiomatic Czech cross rhythms and phrasing required for my fullest listening pleasure. The fine piano performance of Stephen Kovacevich (he was known as Stephen Bishop on the LP) was closer to this ideal. Unfortunately, serious sonic flaws of the LP persist on the CD. The upper register of the violins remains thin and unpleasant, and the balance between the strings and piano levels in the opus 81 quintet is not good. The piano sound is far too dominant. My suggestion is to look elsewhere for recordings that better capture these beauties of Dvorak.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
You'll get what you pay for--a letdown
9 April 2004
Format:Audio CD
Philips' "twofer" CD releases include some genuine bargains, classic performances at budget prices, such as Colin Davis' 1966 "Messiah." At first glance this compilation seems like a contender, with two and a half hours of some of Dvorak's most beautiful chamber music, along with lesser-known but equally worthy works, performed by an ensemble with a famous name, along with a distinguished guest artist, pianist Stephen Kovacevich.
In the event, only Kovacevich's beautifully shaped contribution to the Piano Quintet, Op. 81 lives up to expectations. The other performances are uniformly marked by scrappy, out-of-tune playing and thin, shrill tone from the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet. It's hard to tell how much of the acoustic stems from the actual performances, how much from the possibly poor sound of the original analog recording, and how much might be due to the CD transfer. It doesn't really matter. Better, if more expensive, versions of all of these pieces are available on CD, particularly of the delightful Quintet in E-flat and Piano Quintet. Spend a little more and get performances that will stand the test of time, as these have not.
4 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Rarely performed Op. 1 is a wonderful work, performly wonderfully
4 Feb 1999
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first heard this version of the Sextet and Quintet in a, op. 1, years ago on vinyl. I immediately fell in love with both pieces. The Op. 1 Quintet is a work that shows the depths of Dvorak's chamber ability. It is not just a work that foreshadows Dvorak's great late string quartets, but one that stands alone, with passionate slow passages that match Schubert's late string quartets, but a vocabulary totally of Dvorak's own.
As interpeters of Dvorak, the Berlin Philharmonic Octet members have proven themselves completely. These compositions are among Dvorak's best works, wonderfully moody and completely accessible.
As a two-for-oner, this set is a must have.
As interpeters of Dvorak, the Berlin Philharmonic Octet members have proven themselves completely. These compositions are among Dvorak's best works, wonderfully moody and completely accessible.
As a two-for-oner, this set is a must have.
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