Search - Beethoven, Borodin Quartet :: Complete String Quartets

Outstanding!

Scott E. Peterman | Oneida, NY USA | 11/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't always agree with the Penguin Guide, but when it comes to these recordings, it is right on the money. The guide describes them thus: "The Borodin Quartet's Beethoven cycle has magisterial authority. They shape each movement with exemplary feeling and there is a pleasing naturalness of phrasing. They bring us closer to the soul of this music than do many rivals and they are accorded first-rate sound."



The Borodins have certainly made these masterpieces their own. Well recorded and deeply felt, these performances rank among the very best and are more enjoyable to listen to than most others; this applies to every disc in the cycle, and I cannot see how anyone would be dissatisfied with the purchase of the entire cycle. Along with the cycle by the Bartok Quartet, I give it my highest recommendation.

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Technically brilliant, musically wanting

the unamusicologist | 11/25/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Theodor W. Adorno called it "the barbarism of perfection:" how better to characterize the performances in this collection? The Borodin deliver performances high on technical polish, but that's a poor compensation for their interpretive deficiencies. Their playing is almost cloyingly smooth: it's as if they were driven by a manic fear of any ugliness that a staccato might produce. Further, when they bring something new to the music, it all too often sounds mannered.



If you're seeking a recording in modern, digital sound, and that brings some striking yet never out-of-place interpretive insights to this music, you're better off with the Takacs recordings ((Early Quartets) (Middle Quartets) (Late Quartets)). Better yet, forego digital sound and consider the classic sets by the Amadeus or Guarneri Quartets."