Tír Na HiFi

Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Concerto No's 1 & 2
Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields
Murray Perahia piano
Neville Marnier - conducting.

Beautifully played and recorded too.

Franz Schubert
String Quartet No. 14 in D, 'Death and the Maiden'
Takács Quartet

Well, I returned to this cd this afternoon. I cannot help but compare it to the magnificent Quartetto Italiano performance of Schubert's work. The Takács play the movements at a faster tempo, particularly in the Andante. I prefer the tone of the Quartetto's first violinist, Paolo Borciano, to his counterpart, Edward Dusinberre in the Takács. The overall Takács sound is much thinner than the Italians. Had I acquired the Takács before the Quartetto's then I might not have developed a deep interest in Schubert's quartets. In conclusion, I do like the Takács performance but I could not do without the Italians.

Seán wrote:

Franz Schubert
String Quartet No. 14 in D, 'Death and the Maiden'
Takács Quartet

Well, I returned to this cd this afternoon. I cannot help but compare it to the magnificent Quartetto Italiano performance of Schubert's work. The Takács play the movements at a faster tempo, particularly in the Andante. I prefer the tone of the Quartetto's first violinist, Paolo Borciano, to his counterpart, Edward Dusinberre in the Takács. The overall Takács sound is much thinner than the Italians. Had I acquired the Takács before the Quartetto's then I might not have developed a deep interest in Schubert's quartets. In conclusion, I do like the Takács performance but I could not do without the Italians.

Good analysis there Seán. I found that they drive music just a little too much when I compared their performances to others in the Beethoven Quartets. That is fine in itself but not constantly as I find that constantly "driven" music can be fatiguing after a while.

Inspired by Dave's choice earlier I went for this one on vinyl....

On vinyl....



In a word, magnificent!

Franz Schubert
String Quartets No. 6, 11 & 2
Kodaly Quartet

These Schubert recordings are my first introduction to the Kodály Quartet and I really enjoyed their sound and their music-making. The Schubert quartets make for very pleasant listening and except perhaps for the rather inane waltz in the Sixth Quartet the music is very enjoyable throughout. These performances are a very welcome addition to my collection.

This cd has me wondering about their Haydn cycle now.

Seán wrote: These Schubert recordings are my first introduction to the Kodály Quartet and I really enjoyed their sound and their music-making. The Schubert quartets make for very pleasant listening and except perhaps for the rather inane waltz in the Sixth Quartet the music is very enjoyable throughout. These performances are a very welcome addition to my collection.

This cd has me wondering about their Haydn cycle now.

I honestly would have no hesitation in saying go for it Seán!

Rossini was only twelve when he composed these works. This is lovely, delightful music and the last sonata is really wonderful.

Cesar Frank: Piano Quintet in Fm....