Music / kammermusik

String quartets


Reviews (33)


Kulturradio RBB

d. 18. Sep. 2015

By

By

Imke Griebsch

d. 18. Sep. 2015

"Verwandtschaften zwischen den impressionistischen Werken und dem gut 100 Jahre später entstandenen Streichquartett von Lin Yang finden sich vor allem im Klang. Die Revolution in Sachen Klangfarbe, die die Impressionisten begonnen haben, hat die chinesische Komponistin fortgeführt ... Für verschiedenen Klangfarben und bei der expressiven, mitreissenden Gestaltung haben die Musiker viel Fingerspitzengefühl. Auffällig schön ist der homogene und dabei sehr flexible Klang des Ensembles".


The guardian

d. 14. Apr. 2022

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By

Andrew Clements (musikanmelder)

d. 14. Apr. 2022

"Chamber works from the beginning and end of Debussy's career - his only string quartet, composed in 1893, and the Sonata for flute, viola and harp, from 1915 - provide the points of reference in this collection from the Quatuor Voce, with the soprano Jodie Devos, flautist Juliette Hurel and harpist Emmanuel Ceysson ... It may not all add up to an essential Debussy collection but it's a thoughtful and rewarding one nevertheless".


Presto classical

2015

By

2015

"This time, alongside the shimmering magic of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the young, internationally acclaimed and award-winning musicians perform the world premiere of a quartet by the Chinese composer Lin Yang, who has dedicated the work to them".


MusicWeb international

2018 July

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By

Stuart Sillitoe

2018 July

"The Jerusalem Quartet really shine in the Ravel. Here the performance is impassioned and nuanced producing a performance that is at least as good as the Petersen Quartet's and better than the Belcea's. This disc is well worth investing in for the recording of the Ravel alone but add in the very fine recording of the Debussy and this disc is very attractive indeed. The playing of the Jerusalem Quartet is crystal clear throughout, no doubt helped by the acoustic and the excellent recorded sound, and this helps to bring out the very best of this music".


Presto classical

d. 18. May 2018

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By

James Longstaffe

d. 18. May 2018

"Recording of the week: As you would expect from such a seasoned group, their mastery of rubato is impressive. They move as one, and yet there is space for individual instruments to rise out of the texture when appropriate ... Their group playing is spellbinding, drawing you in because of how quiet it is".


Jyllands-posten

d. 21. May 2007

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By

John Christiansen

d. 21. May 2007

"Carmina Kvartetten spiller relativt nærgående, men spændende og dramatisk, mens trioen Rouvier-Kantorow-Philippe Müller har et blødere klangideal. En klar anbefaling".


Jyllands-posten

d. 14. May 2007

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 14. May 2007


Jyllands-posten

d. 30. Dec. 2010

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By

John Christiansen

d. 30. Dec. 2010

"Den kun få år gamle Arcanto Kvartet, som består af kendte solister som violinisten Antje Weithaas og bratschisten Tabea Zimmermann, spiller dem alle sublimt med en vidunderlig sans for detaljer, som man ellers næppe ville have opdaget. Stor anbefaling".


Jyllands-posten

d. 4. Apr. 2001

By

d. 4. Apr. 2001


Kristeligt dagblad

d. 5. May 2007

By

By

Bernhard Lewkovitch

d. 5. May 2007


Jyllands-posten

d. 4. Apr. 2001

By

d. 4. Apr. 2001


Klassisk

2010, nr. 19

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By

Jens Cornelius

2010, nr. 19

"Denne cd er i absolut topklasse ... Hver eneste detalje i musikken har Arcanto Kvartetten tænkt over, og alt pointeres med en utrolig evne til at forme musikkens fraser, både de store og de helt små ... En fremragende cd".


Fono Forum

2018 Dezember

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By

Marcus Stäbler

2018 Dezember

"Das Jerusalem Quartet spielt ... zwar weich unde leise, aber eben ohne jene Extraportion Klangmagie, die ein Stück wie das Streichquartett von Debussy schon braucht, um seinen ganzen Zauber zu entfallen ... Im Streichquartett von Maurice Ravel, bei dem das Jerusalem Quartet mir persönlich noch besser gefällt als in seiner Debussy-Interpretation ... die den Mittelstimmen eine auffallend starke Präsenz gewährt und damit den harmonischen Reichtum der Musik besonders schön abbildet".


Fono Forum

2018 November

By

By

Marcus Stäbler

2018 November

"Im Streichquartett von Maurice Ravel, bei dem das Jerusalem Quartet mir noch besser gefällt als beim Debussy: wegen der flexiblen Tempi, aber auch wegen der sehr ausgewogenen Balance, die den Mittelstimmen eine starke Präsenz gewährt und damit den harmonischen Reichtum der Musik besonders schön abbildet".


BBC music magazine

2018 September

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Roger Nichols (musikanmelder)

2018 September

"Chamber choice: In advance, I wondered whether there was anything new to be said about these two incessantly recorded works. Happily the answer is 'yes'. Nor is it due to anything imposed - the novelty comes quite simply from doing what it says on the tin. This disc is a superb combination of intelligence, honesty, taste and technique".


BBC music magazine

2012 June

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By

Christopher Dingle

2012 June

"This is a marvellous inventive collection ... Their playing is tempered, both in the Quartet and the Rèverie, by a quivering texture in more hushed moments, with mixed results".


BBC music magazine

2008 November

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By

Roger Nichols (musikanmelder)

2008 November

"Occasionally extraneous swishing noises intrude in some passages. But not enough to undermine this fine disc".


BBC music magazine

2013 November

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By

Christopher Dingle

2013 November

"Quatuor Modigliani's incisive yet poetic approach is the equal of other recent versions of the Debussy and Ravel. They convince with lesserknown Saint-Saëns".


Fono Forum

2013 Mai

By

By

Marcus Stäbler

2013 Mai

"Zur Weltklasse reicht es jedenfals noch nicht".


Diapason

2013 mars

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By

Gérard Condé

2013 mars

"Fondé en 2003 le Quatuor Modigliani s'est vite imposé parmi les formations frana̧ises les plus remarquables de la jeune génération ... Quatuor no. 1 de Saint-Saëns ... est servie avec un conviction et un engagement ... sublime".


Fono Forum

2022 August

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By

Jürgen Schaarwächter

2022 August

"Die Streichquartette von Debussy und Yves Balmer - Letzeres ein Auftragswerk des Quatuor Voce mit dem Ziel der Spiegelung von Debussys Werk - flankieren dieses feinsinnige Album, das komplettiert wird durch Debussys Sonate für Flöte, Viola und Harfe sowie dessen "Proses lyrique" in Balmers Einrichtung für Sopran und Streicher. Das Quatuor Voce betont den internationalen Ton in Debussys Werk und eine vergleichbare Klangästhethik findet sich auch in Balmers noch stärker pointillistisch konzipierter Komposition".


Fono Forum

2024 Februar

By

By

Marcus Stäbler

2024 Februar


BBC music magazine

2024 January

By

By

Roger Nichols (musikanmelder)

2024 January

"I find it hard to decide which I enjoyed more: the performances of the three works or the DVD providing background information about the players and their attitude to their task ... The variety of colours and the dynamic range from enchanting delicacy to furious abandon offer us both the Impressionist and more modern aspects of Debussy and the Ravel, the wildness of Ravel's finale being breathtaking ... The DVD made by the wonderful Bruno Monsaingeon is an eye-opener to the labour, sensitivity, intelligence, tact, humour, concentration and self-awareness required to keep everything alive and well".


The gramophone

2010 November

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By

Geoffrey Norris

2010 November

"Admirers of the Arcanto Quartet will lap this disc up, and it deserves to be a spur to anybody who has not yet been alerted to this ensemble's expertise, panache and interpretative perception".


The gramophone

2012 November

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By

Geoffrey Norris

2012 November

"The subtlety, beauty and sinew of the playing are simply amazing".


International record review

2012 November

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Mark Pullinger

2012 November

"Although the Talich Quartet brushes some of the veiled half-light aside, those wanting to hear visceral, occasionally abrasive accounts of them should try to give this disc an airing".


The gramophone

2018 July

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By

Tim Ashley

2018 July

"The Jerusalem Quartet's Debussy is unquestionably challenging. It's a strikingly intense performance, grand in scale, emotionally hearted and dark in tone ... Yet at the same time, the richness and weight of the Jerusalem Quartet's sound spreads a pall of sensuality over the whole work ... The new recording is utterly compelling. Turning to Ravel, the contrast comes almost as a jolt. Turbulent sensuality gives way to sensuous refinement as the dark string sound perceptibly brightens ... It's a fine performance, beautifully articulated and superbly played, but ultimately it's the Debussy that is the disc's raison d'être. It's quite remarkable: do listen to it".


International record review

2012 May

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By

Mark Tanner

2012 May

"The Brodsky's performance of the Quartet ... I have been consistently impressed by the fusion of masculine energy and feminine intuition the performance exhibits ... In the Piano Trio Bavouzet enjoys the spotlight with some memorable pearliness of tone ... in a performance notable for its warmth and luminosity ... These performances stand up very convincingly, and the natural-sounding acoustic does much to enhance the listener's experience".


The gramophone

2012 June

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By

Edward Greenfield

2012 June

"An original and revealing Debussy coupling ... defies all rivals ... An exceptionally warm and sympathetic reading [String Quartet] ... Altogether a satisfying and unique Debussy coupling, superbly played".


The gramophone

2008 December

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By

Rob Cowan (f. 1948)

2008 December

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "There's a fluidity to the Ebène playing of both works that suits the music's character, a mood of wistfulness too that the Ravel especially benefits from. This improvisatory approach is hardly surprising from an ensemble that is also celebrated for its jazz performances".


The gramophone

2013 June

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By

Harriet Smith

2013 June

"The Modigliani aren't afraid to explore the more discomforting elements of these pieces, and of the Debussy in particular ... Their hyper-reactivity is another delight, of which instances abound ... The Modigliani are persuasive advocates [of the Saint-Saens], their reading culminating in a coda which is a veritable tour de force, the textures never losing clarity in spite of the speed - a tribute to the recording as much as the playing".


International record review

2013 April

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By

Colin Anderson

2013 April

"The Saint-Saens is full of delightful surprises ... The players are really inside Debussy's expression and colours and play with technical brilliance, unimity and musch expression".


Klassisk

2023, nr. 71

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By

Andrew Mellor

2023, nr. 71

"Det er ti år siden, at Quatuor Arod blev dannet i Frankrig ... Først nu indspiller de hovedværkerne i det franske kvartetrepertoire: Strygekvartetter af Ravel og Debussy ... en stor udfordring for fire strygere ... Albummet indeholder også en strygekvartet af den unge franske komponist Benjamin Attahir ... uropført af Quatuor Arod i 2017".