Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 "From my Life" & Quartet No. 2 in D minor; "From the Homeland" two duos for violin and piano

On this CD:

1. String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ("Z mého, zivota," "From My Life"), JB 1:105
Composed by Bedrich Smetana

2. Z domoviny (From the Homeland), pieces (2) for violin & piano, JB 1:118
Composed by Bedrich Smetana
Performed by Sachiko Kayahara, Vaclav Remes

3. String Quartet No. 2 in D minor, JB 1:124
Composed by Bedrich Smetana

Tracks:

Orchestra Tune-Up
Bartered Bride Overture
Symphony 5, 1st Movement
The Four Seasons, Autumn, RV293, 1st Movement
Divertimento In F, K.138, 1st Movement
March Militaire
Symphony 5, 4th Movement
Annen Polka
Capriccio Espagnol, Alborada
Trish-Trash Polka
Concerto In C, RV537, 3rd Movement
Capriccio Espagnol, Fandango
The Four Seasons, Spring, RV269, 1st Movement
Serenade For Strings, Waltz
The Bartered Bride, Polka
Symphony 100, 'Military' 2nd Movement
Piano Sonata 15, Op.28, 4th Movement
Waltz In G Flat Op.70, No.1
Symphony 101, 'Clock' 2nd Movement
6 Children Pieces, Op.72, 2nd Movement
Lullaby

Customer Reviews:

Selection is not good.......2006-07-27

This tape is short and the melodies are not engaging for kids. It was waste of money.

Baby Einstein: Traveling Melodies .......2006-02-23

Hello everyone,
This CD is great!
My son has ADD & when we are out & he gets Anxious I put this CD in his portibale CD player.
It seems to help him calm down & better cope with things.
I think that every parent should have this CD that has a special needs child.
Thanks so much for putting it online for people to buy.
Thanks Again,
A Greatfull Mom

Saved My Sanity.......2005-11-03

My husband and I are musicians so I inwardly groaned when we were given this CD as a gift--I'd rather play the originals rather than some synthesized kiddie version. However, on a recent road trip we got desperate when our colicky son would not stop screaming. We popped this in the CD player and it calmed him down immediately. I swear, it's like aural crack for babies. We now play it at bedtime to help calm him down and it still works. You may not love this CD, but your baby will.

A Very Pleasant CD for Little Ones in the Car.......2005-11-01

I picked this up for driving around music and was very pleasantly surprised. Quite enjoyable (and my son seems to like it too!) and perfect for exactly what it says--traveling around. Easy listening and could possibly make your child smarter, great!

Dvorak: Symphony No7;Symphony No8;Symphony No9

Average customer rating:

Good Lord, just buy it.
Virtuosic
Emotionally flat
poor audio quality
Wonderful

Dvorak: Symphony No7;Symphony No8;Symphony No9

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5; Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
Schumann: Symphonies 1-4; Manfred Overture
Pictures at an Exhibition/Capriccio Espagnol
Grieg, Schumann: Piano Concertos
Mozart: Concerto Nos. 21 & 24

ASIN: B000007QCH
Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

Symphony No. 7 In D Minor Op. 70: I. Allegro maestoso
Symphony No. 7 In D Minor Op. 70: II. Poco Adagio
Symphony No. 7 In D Minor Op. 70: III. Scherzo. Vivace -- Poco meno mosso
Symphony No. 7 In D Minor Op. 70: IV. Finale. Allegro
Carnival Overture, Op. 92
Overture To The Bartered Bride
Quartet In E Minor 'From My Life': I. Allegro vivo appassionato
Quartet In E Minor 'From My Life': II. Allegro moderato alla Polka
Quartet In E Minor 'From My Life': III. Largo sostenuto
Quartet In E Minor 'From My Life': IV. Vivace -- Meno mosso

Tracks:

Symphony No. 8 In G, Op. 88: I. Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 8 In G, Op. 88: II. Adagio
Symphony No. 8 In G, Op. 88: III. Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace
Symphony No. 8 In G, Op. 88: IV. Allegro, ma non troopo
Symphony No. 9, In E Minor Op. 95: I. Adagio. Allegro Molto
Symphony No. 9, In E Minor Op. 95: II. Largo
Symphony No. 9, In E Minor Op. 95: III. Scherzo, Molto vivace
Symphony No. 9, In E Minor Op. 95: IV. Allegro con fuoco

Amazon.com

George Szell's great musical hero was Toscanini, but the truth is that on any given day Szell was probably the better conductor. Of course, comparisons like this aren't fair, especially when so much of Szell's musical prime has been preserved in really good sound, which certainly isn't true of the great Italian conductor. But it's worth pointing out all the same, because all of Toscanini's best qualities are here. The razor-sharp rhythms, perfect orchestral balances, and, where required, stunning power of the orchestra are all placed in the service of Dvorák's magnificent music. The result is that the "interpretation" as such simply vanishes; you experience an inevitable, organic musical discourse. It's what all great conductors aspire to- -but for Szell, it was all in a day's work. Essential. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Good Lord, just buy it........2007-05-29

Not only is this the most passionately and perfectly played Dvorak and Smetana I've ever heard, it is sonically head and shoulders above the Columbia/Sony reissues we had to suffer through for so many years.

The Cleveland Orchestra is quite simply on fire here, Szell is inspired, one of the great musicians of the century, and the sound reflects the bright, spacious feeling of Severance Hall.

Let's just hope that Sony continues to clean up the scores of remaining Szell/Cleveland recordings they have in their vault for digital release. Music making of this caliber is of historical importance.

Postscript--After several more listenings I notice that in the wildly intense mono recording of Smetana's Bartered Bride overture there are moments where Szell can be heard driving the string section attack by singing the parts in a mad voice reminescent of Glenn Gould or Bernstein in their wackiest moments of musical transport. And his orchestration and performance of "From My Life".... Szell an Ice Cube? Stereotypes and reportage from third rate journalists die hard. This is music making of such barely contained passion and frenzy that even after thirty years of listening to it I still find new things to marvel at...

Virtuosic.......2006-02-17

This set contains the most technically accomplished performances of these works. Just listen to the hair-raising coda of the 8th symphony's last mvt. Truly virtuosic.

Emotionally flat.......2006-01-08

These recordings, though aurally quite good (including the 1949 Smetana quartet orchestration, in spite of its mono vintage) present the Szell/Cleveland collaboration that I remember hearing live in Carnegie Hall: everything beautifully, even gorgeously, played, balances perfect, everything well-done...but emotionally flat as a pancake, totally lacking in excitement or verve. Now, this wasn't ALWAYS the case, on record or live; witness the Smetana overture here, and the "quartet". But the symphonies are all that way, gorgeous but unmoving.

One reviewer compares Szell to Toscanini, citing the perfection of execution of both of these artists and saying that Szell, and Toscanini, are out of favor now. Well, Toscanini's performances, whatever you say about them, cannot EVER be called emotionally cold or flat, as these are!

I am still searching for the Szell/Cleveland Dvorak 8th, recorded by EMI in 1970, which presented an entirely different view, a performance with real passion and verve, even excitement, added to the perfect execution in evidence here. But it seems to be out of print!

poor audio quality.......2005-09-03

The performances are good, but the background hiss is overwhelming if you have a good audio system. Especially during soft, lyrical passages such as in the Adagio movement of Symphony no. 8.

Wonderful.......2004-05-08

All the other reviewers have said basically summed up what needs to be said about these recordings - the razor sharp precision, the amazing orchestral balance, the powerful dynamics. The Cleveland Orchestra under Szell was something unlike anything else in the world of music. Highly Recommended.

Amadeus Quartet Plays Bruckner, Smetana, Verdi

Average customer rating:

RARE BRUCKNER...

Amadeus Quartet Plays Bruckner, Smetana, Verdi

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets

ASIN: B0009ND438
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Customer Reviews:

RARE BRUCKNER..........2007-05-03

.
We have a new winner in the Best Bruckner contest: the Amadeus' reading of the Quintet is very clear and episodic, thus rendering the musical architectonics vividly.

In honor of Norbert Brainin--1st violin of the Amadeus--DGG has issued for the first time on CD the Amadeus' readings of Bruckner, Verdi, and Tchaikovsky. Nice!--especially the Bruckner.

cf. Bruckner: String Quintet F major/String Quartet C minor
.

Average customer rating:

Great Melodies Of The Classics

Manufacturer: Intersound Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Fanfare (Masterpiece Theater Theme)
Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Major, BWV 1068: Air For The G String
Canon In D Major
The Spring In E Major, Op.8, No.1: Allegro
The Spring In E Major, Op.8, No.1: Largo e pianissimo sempre
The Spring In E Major, Op.8, No.1: Allegro: Rustic Dance
Water Music Suite: Allegro
Water Music Suite: Air
Water Music Suite: Bouree - Handel_
Water Music Suite: Hornpipe - Handel_
Water Music Suite: Andante expressivo - Handel_
Water Music Suite: Hornpipe - Handel_
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 In F Major, BWV1047: (Allegro) - Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 In F Major, BWV1047: Andante - Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No.2 In F Major, BWV1047: Allegro assai - Bach
Table Music Overture - Telemann
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor, BWV565 - Bach

Tracks:

Symphony No.5 In C Minor, Op.67: Allegro Con Brio
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525: Allegro
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525: Romanze: Andante
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525: Menuetto: Allegretto
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K.525: Rondo: Allegro
Symphony No.94 In G Major, Surprise: Adagio: Vivace Assai
Symphony No.94 In G Major, Surprise: Andante
Symphony No.94 In G Major, Surprise: Menuet: Allegro Molto
Symphony No.94 In G Major, Surprise: Finale: Allegro Di Molto
Symphony no.5 In B-Flat Major: Allegro Vivace - Schubert
Piano Concerto No.21 In C Major, K.467: Andante - Mozart
Beethoven: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Beethoven

Tracks:

Light Cavalry Overture
Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64: Valse: Allegro moderato
William Tell: Overture
Bolero
Die Fledermaus (The Bat): Overture
A Midsummer Night's Dream Suite: Overture
A Midsummer Night's Dream Suite: Scherzo
A Midsummer Night's Dream Suite: Nocturne
A Midsummer Night's Dream Suite: Wedding March - Mendelssohn
A Midsummer Night's Dream Suite: Puck's Dance - Mendelssohn

Tracks:

The Valkyrie: Ride Of The Valkyries
Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46: Dawn
Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46: Death Of Ase
Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46: Anitra's Dance
Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46: In The Hall Of The Moutain King
Les Preludes
Orpheus In The Underworld: Overture
My Country: The Moldau
The Afternoon Of A Faun: Prelude
Carmen: The Toreadors
Carmen: Habanera
Carmen: March Of The Smugglers

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Average customer rating:

Superb!

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Franz Joseph Haydn , Felix Mendelssohn , Ludwig van Beethoven , Johannes Brahms , Antonin Dvorak , Bedrich Smetana , Leos Janacek , Eva Bernathova , Janacek Quartet , and Smetana Quartet
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Janacek / Novak: String Quartets
Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
The 1950s Concerto Recordings
The Complete 1950s Chopin Recordings
Igor Markevitch

ASIN: B00007EB9S
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Tracks:

Cd 1 Mozart: String Quartet K.387 / Haydn: String Quartet Op.33 No.3
Cd 2 Haydn: String Quartets Op.33 No.2 / Op.3 No.5 Op.76 No.2
Cd 3 Mendelssohn: Octet Op.20 With Smetana Quartet / Beethoven : String Quartet Op.59 No.2
Cd 4 Brahms: Piano Quintet Op.34 / Dvorak: Piano Quartet Op.81 With Eva Bernathova, Piano
Cd 5 Dvorak: String Quartets Opp.34 & 96
Cd 6 Dvorak: String Quartets Opp.51 No.105
Cd 7 Smetana: String Quartet No.1 / Janacek: String Quartet No.2

Customer Reviews:

Superb!.......2003-03-04

Back in "Iron Curtain" times it was by no means easy to hear Soviet-bloc artists in the U.S., and recordings really established international reputations over here. And based on available recordings it was generally conceded that the two great Czechoslovak string quartets were the Janacek and the Smetana, the former based in Moravia (Brno), the latter in Bohemia (Prague). The heyday of the Janacek Quartet was the 1950s and 1960s when these recordings were made for Deutsche Grammophon, British Decca and Westminster. About half were recorded in mono, the rest are stereo; but all are, technically speaking, very decently produced and wear their years lightly. Performance highlights for me are the Decca recordings of Dvorak and Haydn quartets; the DG recording of the Brahms piano quintet (with Eva Bernathova); and the stunning Westminster performance of the Mendelssohn Octet (where the Smetana Quartet joins in!). The great conductor Karl Bohm once declared that the Czech lands were the home of great string playing, and when you hear these recordings you sense the justness of that remark. These players produce an ineffable sweetness of sound that never cloys, and they phrase with an easy naturalness that, on every re-hearing, discloses new subtleties. No, this is not high-powered American string playing ala the Julliard Quartet; what the Janacek Quartet offers is a style and sound that is almost lost in today's internationalized musical performance world. Catch this set while you can; it's billed as a limited edition and many of the performances have been unavailable (in the U.S., at least) since the early 1960s. Space-saving soft box format and price are additional inducements, but these priceless recordings would be a bargain at twice the price DG is charging. Final note: no collection of the Janacek Quartet's work is complete without their stunning stereo recording of the two great quartets written by their namesake, currently available on a midprice Supraphon CD. Although an earlier, mono recording of the second Janacek quartet is included in the DG box, spend a little extra for the Supraphon CD just to get the Janacek Quartet's equally stunning performance of Janacek No. 1 ("Kreutzer Sonata" quartet). You won't regret the minor duplication, plus the Supraphon CD also includes a pleasant, "off the beaten path" quartet by 19th century Czech Romantic Vtislav Nowak as a substantial bonus. But for heaven's sake, don't hesitate to buy the DG collection right now!

The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1988 Film)

Average customer rating:

none
humble opinion of a music student
5 stars for the janacek, anyway...
Different...

The Unbearable Lightness Of Being (1988 Film)
Mark Adler , and Ernie Forselius
Manufacturer: Fantasy Spec. Prod.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Two-Disc Special Edition)
On Chesil Beach: A Novel

ASIN: B000000XEW
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Fairy Tale, III. Allegro - Jerry Grossman, Diane Walsh
The Holy Virgin Of Frydek (Grave) from 'On The Overgrown Path', Set 1 - Ivan Klansky
In The Mist , II. Molto adagio - Ivan Moravec
Hey Jude - Marta Kubisova
Joj, Joj, Joj - Jarmilla Sulakova, Vojtech Jochec
String Quartet No.2 from 'Intimate Pages' IV. Allegro - Smetana Quartet
Sonatat For Violin And Piano, IV. Adagio - Sergiu Luca, Paul Schoenfield
The Bird Of III Omen Lingers On (Andante) From 'On The Overgrown Path' Set i - Ivan Klansky
On The Overgrown Path, Set 2, 4th Movement, Allegro - Ivan Klansky
String Quartet No.1-III. Con Moto-Vivace-Andante - Smetana Quartet
A Blown-Away Leaf: Andante from 'On The Overgrown Path' - Ivan Moravec
Goodnight - Radoslav Kvapil
Idyll For String Orchestra, V. Adagio - Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra/Gerard Schwartz

Customer Reviews:

none.......2005-02-12

The Janacek on this is the best available on compact disc.
The version of Hey Jude---a plodding, overrated song to begin with---is absolutely god-awful; akin to nails on a chalkboard to this beautiful album.

humble opinion of a music student.......2004-07-02

It was brilliant to use the music of Leo Janacek as the score of this fantastic film. It gives a great feeling of the country and its people. The performances on this soundtrack could be better, but the occasional coarseness - that sometimes annoys me - suits the movie. The two songs shouldn't be next to all that great repertoire, but they are a part of the soundtrack...While I wouldn't compare Debussy and Satie with Janacek as they are completely different, I do agree that it's worth listening to!

5 stars for the janacek, anyway..........2001-02-17

i have to disagree with the last review in that if I could take the version of hey Jude off, plus Joj Joj Joj, I would in a second. they stick out sorely and are unlike the rest of the album, which introduced me to janacek, for which I'm forever grateful. the piano songs in particular rank up there for me with Debussy's solo piano work, and Erik Satie's. evocative, delicate, melodious, accessible; just gorgeous. the versions here seem good to me - I'm no expert, but they are better than the versions on the janacek CD this album led me to buy.

Different..........2000-07-29

An excellent version of Hey Jude. Good music all around.

Average customer rating:

Intriguing Program, Moving Performances
The Juilliard Plays Franck and Smetana Quartets
recommended by the Takacs?
A valuable disc
Cold? More like, just right

Smetana & Franck: String Quartets

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029Z5
Release Date: 1997-10-07

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (From My Life): I. Allegro vivo appassionato
String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (From My Life): II. Allegro moderato alla Polka
String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (From My Life): III. Largo sostenuto
String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (From My Life): IV. Vivace
String Quartet In D Major: I. Poco lento. Allegro
String Quartet In D Major: II. Scherzo. Vivace
String Quartet In D Major: III. Larghetto
String Quartet In D Major: IV. Finale Allegro molto

Amazon.com

In the last years of his life, Franck created three chamber music masterpieces: the Violin Sonata, the Piano Quintet, and this String Quartet. Only the Violin Sonata has achieved a full measure of popularity, and this string quartet is virtually unknown, largely because of its ambitious length and difficulty in performance. It's a terrific piece of music employing the composer's trademark cyclical form: the movements share tunes, and the finale acts as a sort of summing up of the entire work. While challenging to the performers, there's nothing difficult about it for the listener, and this performance is just about the only show in town. Fortunately, it's a very good one. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing Program, Moving Performances.......2006-04-22

Reading the other comments on this page, I note that this recording has elicited a remarkable variety of opinion. So here is mine, which differs from most of what I've read here! The Smetana is a classic, and there have been many recordings of this durable work. I find that the Julliard very successfully captures both the anguish and the joyous nostalgia of a piece that charts Smetana's youthful enthusiasm for music, his professional triumphs, and his descent to the maddening tinnitus that would bring far worse in his last years. Few composers have managed to turn personal tragedy into so immediately lovable a work.

The Franck is another matter (almost) entirely. Its program is more abstract, and it is a less personal composition, though if you know and love Franck, its hauntingly chromatic melodies will be instantly recognizable as the work of the master. And there are both drama and majesty in this piece--at almost fifty minutes, majestic length, for one thing. The first movement opposes one of Franck strangely serene melodies against powerful minor-key utterances. The minor key dominates the scherzo as well, which has an ambiguous kind of emotionality--or maybe emotional neutrality--to it, probably because Franck realized the sad, poignant Larghetto that follows required a preceding movement that is almost pure sound and motion. The last movement successfully resolves the tensions posed by the first and third movements, the drama and sadness of what came before viewed from an Olympian height. Perhaps this is the testament of a composer who knew that his few ardent admirers were correct, and that his day was indeed coming.

I've heard this music played with a kind of patrician aloofness, but that's not what the Julliard brings to it. There is a brashness, not to say rawness, to some of the playing that is not at all amiss.

I was first intrigued by the novelty of the coupling on offer here and then deeply moved by the performances. On both scores, this is a highly successful recording.

Sony provides sound that is close but not uncomfortably so. It seems as truthful as the performances.

The Juilliard Plays Franck and Smetana Quartets.......2005-08-28

The Franck string quartet and Smetena string quartet no. 1 both are inspiring, in their different ways. This admirable CD by the Juilliard String Quartet will introduce the listener to both works.

The Belgian -French composer Cesar Franck (1822 -- 1890) is one of the few composers, (Domenico Scarlatti is another), who found his own voice late in life. Franck's only string quartet in D major dates from his last year, 1890, and is not as well known as, for example, his symphony or violin sonata. In its length and complexity it is a difficult work, but it will reward the effort spent with it. The quartet is highly influenced by late Beethoven and by Schubert's G minor quartet. It is written in a cyclic form in which the opening theme recurs throughout the four movements. To add to the structural complexity of the work, the lengthy opening movement includes two sets of thematic material, an opening slow section and a subsequent quicker section. Further, materials from the second movement, a scherzo, reappear in the third movement, a meditative larghetto. And the extensive fourth movement, marked allegro molto, revisits at length material from each of the earlier three movements. (Franck borrowed this pattern from the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.)

The work is complex and lengthy and bears repeated hearings. For all that, it is a work of triumph which includes integrated themes and contrasts between choral writing reminiscent of Franck's compositions for the organ, and solo writing for each instrument. The work includes intricate passages of voice-leading, moments of deep refelction, and moments of triumph. This little-heard work may never be a popular favorite, but it is great music by a composer who persevered with his art and blossomed late in life.

Unlike Franck's quartet Bedrich Smetana's String Quartet No. 1 in E minor "From my Life" is frequently performed. This quartet is much more immediately lyrical and accessible than Franck's quartet and dates from 1876 when Smetana (1824 -- 1884) was totally deaf. The work takes a bittersweet look at the composer's past life and is replete with Bohemian folk elements. The first movement, marked "allegro vivo appassionato" is of a yearing quality which Smetana wrote to express his romantic and artistic ambitions as a youth. The second movement is a polka, with strong rhythms in the lower strings in which the composer depicts his happy days as a dancer and a rising composer. The lovely third movement, Largo sostenudo, also emphasizes the lower strings and is a lyrical, if schmaltzy, reminiscence of the composer's young love for the woman who subsequently became his wife. The finale, vivace, is replete with folk music and melancholy. Like the Franck quartet, the finale offers a reprise of earlier material The yearing figure from the opening movement returns at the conclusion of the work. But instead of returning as a figure of hope and romance, the reprise has a sad quality as the composer recollects the ambitions of youth amidst the sadness he experienced as life progressed.

The Smetana work will immediately engage the listener. The Franck quartet is more forbidding, but it is work of meditation, feeling, and triumph written in the final months of a great composer's life. This CD will have greatest appeal to experienced lovers of chamber music and to those who love the music of Cesar Franck.

Robin Friedman

recommended by the Takacs?.......2005-01-20

A friend who knows a lot about classical music said he was talking to the Takacs Quartet after a performance and they said they had not done this Franck piece because they believed they could not improve upon this version.

If true - this is quite a recommendation.

A valuable disc.......2003-08-09

The Smetana piece has been recorded time and again, but what makes this CD great is that it is one of the few - perhaps the only - performance of Franck's masterful, tragically little-known string quartet on disc in North America. The inclusion of the Franck piece alone should make this an automatic addition to any serious classical music lover's CD collection. However, I do have to agree with earlier reviewers' compliants about the somewhat rote nature of the playing. The finale of Franck's piece should swell (as I've heard it done in older LP recordings), but here there is very little of the passion and intensity that the string quartet deserves. Regardless, any release of this extraordinary piece of music is a blessing.

Cold? More like, just right.......2001-07-07

The earlier review has some merit, I suppose, in saying that the pieces are cold...both composers were writing in the Romantic/Post-Romantic time period. However, we need to keep in mind that these pieces were written by Smetana and Franck, NOT by Strauss and Wagner (jalapenos instead of habaneros). In the performance these pieces, there SHOULD be something of an element of restraint. Otherwise, it falls over the top and is, well, icky. Both of these pieces were very personal pieces to the composers, so it seems unlikely that either of them would have wanted the peforming quartet to be melodramatic. I HAVE heard "cold" readings of the Smetana...this simply is not one of them. It is just right in temperature. And in intonation and ensemble work - it is dead on.

Average customer rating:

Artist Portrait: András Schiff

Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0002IQNS8
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Tracks:

Arabeske, Op. 18
I Allegretto
Piano Trio Movement In E Flat Major, D897 'Notturno'
Prelude
Sonata
Aria Con Variazioni
Menuet
IV Unten Und Oben (Allegretto Piacevole)
III Rondeaux: Allegretto
Polka In G Minor
III Mit Grosser Lebhaftigkeit
III Allegro Moderato, Grazioso
III Rondo: Vivace

Dvorak : String Quartet No14 ; Smetana : String quartet / Artis Quartet

Average customer rating:

Beautifully done..

Dvorak : String Quartet No14 ; Smetana : String quartet / Artis Quartet

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000028XO
Release Date: 1993-10-05

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully done.........2007-02-09

I usually like my Czech Quartets by Czech players.
The music has a certain "swagger" that, just seems to sound more naturally idiomatic with Czech players that have been around it all their lives. Perhaps more so than other ethnic music.
Sort of like a 60 year old compared to a 30 year old singing Doo-Wop today.
The younger might not be aware of certain nuances, turns, seventh & ninth harmonies etc..that made the sound of the harmony vocal music of the 1950s & 60s.
You definitely had to be there!
Now that said...
I can find absolutely NO fault with this CD.
Though not as Czech as Czech, these pieces have tons of character.
The Artis Quartet have probably made their best CD ever.
They have round rich tone, perfect intonation, blend and dynamics and execution of phrase.
These versions can stand up to any of the Great Czechs. Prazak, Panocha, Talich, Smetana.
Just as good, only different.
They can just flat out play.
Greatly helped by a SUPERB 1993 SONY 20 bit recording (even though we only get 16 bit playback to this day).
Anyway, This is one of the best recorded Quartet CDs I've ever heard.
Transparent with air around every note. Rich, warm, spacious, with the smoothest bottom and great front to back depth.
This is about as well played and recorded as a CD gets.
With playing of this caliber and the Superb sound, who cares if they're not Czech.
This is a Beautiful CD.
Give this "obscure" ARTIS Quartet a try.
You won't be disappointed.
I wanna say, I'll buy the CD back from you if you don't like it, but I don't know who you are.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Borodin: Quartet No. 2; Smetana: Quartet No. 1 "From My Life"

Average customer rating:

Classic Delights.
Romantic String Quartet of Two Great Composers
Forget the Borodin, it's all about Smetana!
Beautiful and Romantic Mush

Borodin: Quartet No. 2; Smetana: Quartet No. 1 "From My Life"

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

String Quartets No. 1 ("From My Life") & No. 2
The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts
Borodin: Symphony No.2/In The Steppes Of Central Asia/Prince Igor

ASIN: B000003CV4
Release Date: 2002-07-23

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
II. Scherzo
III. Notturno
IV. Finale
I. Allegro Vivo Appassionato
II. Allegro Moderato A La Polka
III. Largo Sostenuto
IV. Vivace

Amazon.com

Playing on the matched set of Paganini Strads form the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Cleveland Quartet shows that Americans can do the music proudly, too. Their reading is well-paced and thoughtfully phrased, and while their sound is lighter than that of the Borodin ensemble, it is handsomely captured in Telarc's 1988 recording. Smetana's E Minor Quartet (From My Life) makes for a desirable coupling. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Classic Delights........2002-03-28

The Borodin begins the program with an awkwardly cascading melody that eventually weaves its way among all the parts swelling like a creek until it reaches a serenly quiet pool. Robert Wright and George Forrest manipulated the Scherzo and Notturno into "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" & "And This Is My Beloved" for their 1953 musical Kismet. Borodin's gifted melodies are just as stellar in their original form. The romantic and lilting Scherzo is like a champagne toast. The yearning Notturno develops a perfectly balanced echo before the emphatic finale. Smetana's quartet is by far more polished than the Borodin in both arrangement and technical prowess. The plaintive opening leads into the "serious" second movement polka. The weighty Largo finally concedes to the unison joys of the Vivace finale. The two quartets complement each other marvelously. Don't let the dreary cover illustration fool you, these romantic quartets would be comfortable at any black-tie gathering.

Romantic String Quartet of Two Great Composers.......2001-07-06

This is 57 minutes of beautiful, flowing string music composed by one Russian and the other Czech.

Wanting more of Borodin after long love affair with his Nocturne, I searched for a quality recording of the Quartet in No. 2. This Cleveland Quartet recording is clear and played on a matched set of Stradivarius instruments once belonging to Paganini.

Borodin is remarkable individual, who worked productively in both fields of chemistry and music. This quartet no. 2 was dedicated to his wife in honor of their 20th anniversary. No wonder many of us find this music no hauntingly romantic.

Smetana has long been of interest to me, now I enjoy this quartet as well. He supposedly composed this as his personal response to life's tragedy for him, which declined to deafness and insanity. It was a programmatic movement, from the opening youthful mood to the second (a polka) of youthful dancing, to the largo of first love, to the haunting Finale, a lengthy holding high pitched note, which reminded him of the oncoming deafness. Interesting that in first private performance, Dvorak performed the viola part.

Will get much play from me. Delightful stuff!

Forget the Borodin, it's all about Smetana!.......2001-05-28

I'm sorry to say, but I absolutely cannot stand Borodin's music, particularly his chamber music. THat aside, the Cleveland Quartet does a beautiful interpretation of this awful quartet; they actually make that piece tolerable.

However, for those of you who like the Borodin (I'm unsure why :-)...you'll love it.

Bad bit aside, the Smetana is absolutely brilliant. It is a wonderful programmatic piece of chamber music written by an amazing (yet underrated) composer - it really is a little known gem. And the performance of it is spectacular - they truly do bring out the rich Romanticism that is present in all of Smetana's works.

So, buy this for the Smetana - you will not regret it!

Beautiful and Romantic Mush.......2001-03-07

For anyone seeking the very romantic string quartet music, this is the perfect CD-- romantic almost to the brink of schmaltz, yet irresistibly lyrical. The Borodin is a fluffy soufflé, rich and sugary. You may know the Nocturne as "And This is My Beloved" from Kismet. Certainly, it may be over-the-top romanticism, and my better half says, "resist!" yet I find myself indulging it in again and again.

Smetana's quartet is one of the few programmatic sting quartets. In it, he musically depicts various events from his life-- his romantic moods, his love of dancing (embodied in the polka of the second movement), his first love, and, in the finale, the deafness which began to appear when he was 50 years old.

The Cleveland quartet's performance of these works is splendid-- nice and clean, and they don't overdo the schmaltz. The only better way to experience this music is to hear it played live in a dimly lit cafe while sipping an espresso and nibbling a croissant.

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