Does the world need another blog? Probably not, but I'll start mine anyhow...

[duxservit]

Keep writing please. I liked everything I read on your blog. Each blog is just the right length.

 

Just keep writing.

[Musicophile]

Keep writing please. I liked everything I read on your blog. Each blog is just the right length.

 

Just keep writing.

 

Thanks for the kind words.

[Daudio]

Musicophile,

 

Normally I don't pay much attention to which is the (supposed) 'best' performance, and Classical is not my primary genre, but there is one piece of music where that question has some importance to me.

 

A long time ago I went looked for an LP of Franz Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' which I had heard on the radio. A record store employee strongly recommended the Taneyev Quartet performance on a ABC/Westminster Gold label (originally a 1971 Melodiya recording). I bought the record and thoroughly enjoyed it, through the SQ was nothing special. Over the years, I acquired a couple of other versions, that were OK but did not stand out.

 

For some reason this is the only piece of (classical) music that I have become interested in comparative performance/recordings, and I was wondering if you have any thoughts on recordings of this piece ?

 

I would like to find something with a combination of good performance AND SQ (of course

 

TIA

[Musicophile]

Musicophile,

 

Normally I don't pay much attention to which is the (supposed) 'best' performance, and Classical is not my primary genre, but there is one piece of music where that question has some importance to me.

 

A long time ago I went looked for an LP of Franz Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden' which I had heard on the radio. A record store employee strongly recommended the Taneyev Quartet performance on a ABC/Westminster Gold label (originally a 1971 Melodiya recording). I bought the record and thoroughly enjoyed it, through the SQ was nothing special. Over the years, I acquired a couple of other versions, that were OK but did not stand out.

 

For some reason this is the only piece of (classical) music that I have become interested in comparative performance/recordings, and I was wondering if you have any thoughts on recordings of this piece ?

 

I would like to find something with a combination of good performance AND SQ (of course

 

TIA

Actually, the late string quartets of Schubert were going to be one of my next posts anyhow. On Death and the Maiden, if you want a contemporary well recorded one, which is also outstanding from a performance point of view, go for Pavel Haas on Supraphon (available as 24/96) or Takacs on Hyperion. If you want a complete box of the string quartets, the Leipziger Streichquartett on MDG (redbook only) is also very well recorded.

 

PAVEL HAAS QUARTET / SCHUBERT – Death and the Maiden, String Quintet :: Supraphon

 

Schubert: Death and the Maiden - CDA67585 - Franz Schubert (1797-1828) - Hyperion Records - MP3 and Lossless downloads

 

Classical Net Review - Schubert - Complete String Quartets

 

To be fair, I only have 10 versions of this masterpiece, I'd need to do a more thorough check on Qobuz if anything else stands out at some point.

 

Which other versions do you have?

[Guidof]

I'm torn between Hamburg and Berlin on Furtwängler. By the way, a have one more with the Concertgebouw, also quite nice. SQ is pretty poor though.

 

I don't have either the Klemperer or the Furtwängler, alas, but I like the Giulini (with the Los Angeles Philarmonic). Giulini adopts rather deliberate tempi that let this music "breath," without becoming lethargic in the process. I really like the result. SQ is nothing to write home about, but it has a nice three-dimensionality to it.

 

 

Regards,

 

Guido F.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Very cool Musicophile!

[Musicophile]

I don't have either the Klemperer or the Furtwängler, alas, but I like the Giulini (with the Los Angeles Philarmonic). Giulini adopts rather deliberate tempi that let this music "breath," without becoming lethargic in the process. I really like the result. SQ is nothing to write home about, but it has a nice three-dimensionality to it.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19178[/ATTACH]

 

Regards,

 

Guido F.

Giulini is indeed very good, although I slightly prefer the EMI Philharmonia cycle.

[Musicophile]

Very cool Musicophile!

Thanks!

[AnotherSpin]

Taneyev for Schubert? What's wrong with you? Look around for numerous fine performances easily accessible.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Taneyev for Schubert? What's wrong with you? Look around for numerous fine performances easily accessible.

A little ornery tonight ?

[AnotherSpin]

A little ornery tonight ?

 

Love Schubert too much to listen Soviets.

[Jud]

Can second the Pavel Haas recommendation. Beautifully played and recorded.

[Musicophile]

I'd certainly be curious to hear what Daudio will end up buying.

 

In the meantime, if you like hard-bop, I've recently started a little mini-series on numerous spin-offs of the Jazz Messengers, starting with Horace Silver and Hank Mobley:

 

Jazz Messengers mini-series | musicophilesblog – from Keith Jarrett to Johannes Brahms

[Daudio]

To be fair, I only have 10 versions...

 

Which other versions do you have?

 

ONLY 10 ?!?

 

 

You had to ask !

 

In spite of various system problems, I wanted to answer your question (for both of us), so decided to find and listen to all the versions I had, and report back, before trying anything new to me.

 

I've had to wait, then play, and later replay some of these quartets because a replacement amp is 'burning in' after a decade or more, 'cold' in storage. It's getting better, but not quite to the point I was at with my original main amp, which lost the right channel, and now needs surgery. Also, lost a subwoofer a couple of months back, and then the whole system was down for a couple of weeks for carpet cleaning. Add in a new USB cable and Regen, and it has been a very aurally confusing time

 

 

But, to the music…

[Daudio]

Franz Schubert's String Quartet #14 - 'Death and the Maiden' :

 

All IMHO comments on: music performance (P) and recording sound quality (SQ).

 

 

Digital (CD rips):

Sony/CBS (MPK-45696) - Budapest Quartet, 1953 *

P - nice, musical (as opposed to just getting the notes right), but the bad sound negates anything good about the performance

SQ - terrible, sounds like heard through a long tunnel, shrieks and moans at me

 

Sony (SBK-46343) - Julliard Quartet, 1991 **

P - musical, dramatic, lots of verve, but none-the-less I drifted away after a while

SQ - Not bad, good staging, nice cello, but left me wanting more.

 

Vinyl / LPs:

 

Classics for Pleasure (CFP 171) - Gabrieli Quartet, 1971 ***

P - On my first playing I thought it was fine, but too upbeat, joyous, happy, etc, for the subject, and composers mood. But on re-play it was nowhere as pronounced. Perhaps it was due to a euphonious phase the ARC D-52d went through as it burned-in, broke-in, re-formed, whatever. This would be my favorite version so far, but…

SQ - surfaces are a little noisy, the instruments are piled up on top of each other (?!?), but overall I like the tone and detail

 

ABC/Westminster Gold (WG-8349) (org. Melodiya recording) - Taneyev Quartet, 1971 ***

P - Intensity, control, fine playing. Dramatic, with a tension that finds more meaning in it then other interpretations. Still my favorite version

SQ - not audiophile quality, but fine for the job. I liked the string tone, and there were some very interesting sounds emanating from the cello at times, some scratch clicks.

 

 

* discovered that I like his 'Rosamunde' too !

** (bundled with) 'Trout' - Budapest Quartet, 1962 - some say this is a great reading of this work...

*** nice cover art…

 

So the Taneyev performance easily wins my vote, with a qualitatively different reading then all the others, that puts me in mind of the timings and tensions of Stravinsky and Britten (favorites of mine). Even the misty winter forest in the cover art reflects a cooler, maybe abstract, approach.

None of these recordings had any really noteworthy SQ, but most were adequate for the simple job of a quartet recording.

 

I'll now have to check out your recommendations and let you know what I think of them. That is, when feel like listening to this piece again

 

 

P.S. I remembered that there is one other piece of music where I have similar interest in various performances/recordings, and that is Benjamin Britten's 'Violin Concerto in D'. Another time perhaps ?

[Musicophile]

Franz Schubert's String Quartet #14 - 'Death and the Maiden' :

 

All IMHO comments on: music performance (P) and recording sound quality (SQ).

 

 

Digital (CD rips):

Sony/CBS (MPK-45696) - Budapest Quartet, 1953 *

P - nice, musical (as opposed to just getting the notes right), but the bad sound negates anything good about the performance

SQ - terrible, sounds like heard through a long tunnel, shrieks and moans at me

 

Sony (SBK-46343) - Julliard Quartet, 1991 **

P - musical, dramatic, lots of verve, but none-the-less I drifted away after a while

SQ - Not bad, good staging, nice cello, but left me wanting more.

 

Vinyl / LPs:

 

Classics for Pleasure (CFP 171) - Gabrieli Quartet, 1971 ***

P - On my first playing I thought it was fine, but too upbeat, joyous, happy, etc, for the subject, and composers mood. But on re-play it was nowhere as pronounced. Perhaps it was due to a euphonious phase the ARC D-52d went through as it burned-in, broke-in, re-formed, whatever. This would be my favorite version so far, but…

SQ - surfaces are a little noisy, the instruments are piled up on top of each other (?!?), but overall I like the tone and detail

 

ABC/Westminster Gold (WG-8349) (org. Melodiya recording) - Taneyev Quartet, 1971 ***

P - Intensity, control, fine playing. Dramatic, with a tension that finds more meaning in it then other interpretations. Still my favorite version

SQ - not audiophile quality, but fine for the job. I liked the string tone, and there were some very interesting sounds emanating from the cello at times, some scratch clicks.

 

 

* discovered that I like his 'Rosamunde' too !

** (bundled with) 'Trout' - Budapest Quartet, 1962 - some say this is a great reading of this work...

*** nice cover art…

 

So the Taneyev performance easily wins my vote, with a qualitatively different reading then all the others, that puts me in mind of the timings and tensions of Stravinsky and Britten (favorites of mine). Even the misty winter forest in the cover art reflects a cooler, maybe abstract, approach.

None of these recordings had any really noteworthy SQ, but most were adequate for the simple job of a quartet recording.

 

I'll now have to check out your recommendations and let you know what I think of them. That is, when feel like listening to this piece again

 

 

P.S. I remembered that there is one other piece of music where I have similar interest in various performances/recordings, and that is Benjamin Britten's 'Violin Concerto in D'. Another time perhaps ?

If this is your starting point, I'm sure you'll be very positively surprised with any of the recommendations above.

 

I only have the Juillard of your list, and agree it's only so-so.

 

On Rosamunde, I look at the last 3 Schubert quartets as a "package" of outstanding works, and usually would also include the (even better to my ears) String Quintet in the list. Especially on the latter I'd suggest you check it out, good candidates are again Pavel Haas, Takacs, and Tokyo String Quartet. If you get the Pavel Haas, it comes coupled with Death and the Maiden, so that would be a win-win.

 

On Rosamunde, again Takacs are very good (and come with Death and the Maiden).

 

On Britten, I'm far from an expert, as I'm not a big fan of the composer in general. And his violin concerto is I believe not recorded very often. I only have one version of the violence concerto, by Janine Jansen, on Decca, with Paavo Järvi. She does a very enjoyable job on the Beethoven. Need to listen to the Britten again, but with only one version and little experience I feel not very comfortable coming up with a recommendation. Maybe others can chime in.

[Musicophile]

 

 

P.S. I remembered that there is one other piece of music where I have similar interest in various performances/recordings, and that is Benjamin Britten's 'Violin Concerto in D'. Another time perhaps ?

By the way, I checked out my recording of Janine Jansen of the Britten. And while the concerto will never become a favorite of mine, at least the interpretation by Jansen sounds fine to my ears. And you get an excellent Beethoven as well.

 

Beethoven & Britten: Violin concertos/Jansen - Classics Today

[Musicophile]

Franz Schubert's String Quartet #14 - 'Death and the Maiden' :

 

All IMHO comments on: music performance (P) and recording sound quality (SQ).

 

 

Digital (CD rips):

Sony/CBS (MPK-45696) - Budapest Quartet, 1953 *

P - nice, musical (as opposed to just getting the notes right), but the bad sound negates anything good about the performance

SQ - terrible, sounds like heard through a long tunnel, shrieks and moans at me

 

Sony (SBK-46343) - Julliard Quartet, 1991 **

P - musical, dramatic, lots of verve, but none-the-less I drifted away after a while

SQ - Not bad, good staging, nice cello, but left me wanting more.

 

Vinyl / LPs:

 

Classics for Pleasure (CFP 171) - Gabrieli Quartet, 1971 ***

P - On my first playing I thought it was fine, but too upbeat, joyous, happy, etc, for the subject, and composers mood. But on re-play it was nowhere as pronounced. Perhaps it was due to a euphonious phase the ARC D-52d went through as it burned-in, broke-in, re-formed, whatever. This would be my favorite version so far, but…

SQ - surfaces are a little noisy, the instruments are piled up on top of each other (?!?), but overall I like the tone and detail

 

ABC/Westminster Gold (WG-8349) (org. Melodiya recording) - Taneyev Quartet, 1971 ***

P - Intensity, control, fine playing. Dramatic, with a tension that finds more meaning in it then other interpretations. Still my favorite version

SQ - not audiophile quality, but fine for the job. I liked the string tone, and there were some very interesting sounds emanating from the cello at times, some scratch clicks.

 

 

* discovered that I like his 'Rosamunde' too !

** (bundled with) 'Trout' - Budapest Quartet, 1962 - some say this is a great reading of this work...

*** nice cover art…

 

So the Taneyev performance easily wins my vote, with a qualitatively different reading then all the others, that puts me in mind of the timings and tensions of Stravinsky and Britten (favorites of mine). Even the misty winter forest in the cover art reflects a cooler, maybe abstract, approach.

None of these recordings had any really noteworthy SQ, but most were adequate for the simple job of a quartet recording.

 

I'll now have to check out your recommendations and let you know what I think of them. That is, when feel like listening to this piece again

 

 

P.S. I remembered that there is one other piece of music where I have similar interest in various performances/recordings, and that is Benjamin Britten's 'Violin Concerto in D'. Another time perhaps ?

FYI, I've commented on Schubert's string quintet on my blog, with a reference to the amazing Pavel Haas recording. You'll find a link here: Schubert’s amazing chamber music (1) – The String Quintet played by the Pavel Haas Quartet | musicophilesblog – from Keith Jarrett to Johannes Brahms

[Musicophile]

FYI, I've commented on Schubert's string quintet on my blog, with a reference to the amazing Pavel Haas recording. You'll find a link here: Schubert’s amazing chamber music (1) – The String Quintet played by the Pavel Haas Quartet | musicophilesblog – from Keith Jarrett to Johannes Brahms

 

Second Post on Schubert: Rosamunde this time: http://musicophilesblog.com/2015/06/30/schuberts-amazing-chamber-music-2-rosamunde-played-by-the-takacs-quartet/

[Jud]

Cross-posting from another thread, and hanging on the edges of the thread topic by its fingernails, so forgive me on both counts:

 

Listening to the Grateful Dead channel on Sirius XM satellite radio driving in to work, I had a miniature epiphany (an epiphyte?) while hearing a half hour long jam on "Uncle John's Band," with Garcia and (I think) Bruce Hornsby doing the major work:

 

Garcia was Keith Jarrett.

 

This is probably going to puzzle and/or insult both people who love Garcia and people who love Jarrett. But it was easy to hear Garcia doing long stretches of what Jarrett is most famous for: continuous improvisation, bringing up melodies and rhythms from the subconscious, weaving entire musical structures out of nothing, letting them collapse, and building new ones. Wonderful stuff.

[Musicophile]

Cross-posting from another thread, and hanging on the edges of the thread topic by its fingernails, so forgive me on both counts:

 

Listening to the Grateful Dead channel on Sirius XM satellite radio driving in to work, I had a miniature epiphany (an epiphyte?) while hearing a half hour long jam on "Uncle John's Band," with Garcia and (I think) Bruce Hornsby doing the major work:

 

Garcia was Keith Jarrett.

 

This is probably going to puzzle and/or insult both people who love Garcia and people who love Jarrett. But it was easy to hear Garcia doing long stretches of what Jarrett is most famous for: continuous improvisation, bringing up melodies and rhythms from the subconscious, weaving entire musical structures out of nothing, letting them collapse, and building new ones. Wonderful stuff.

 

I'm too unfamiliar with the Dead to comment. But great musicians with talent to create emotions and to build complex improvisations can be found in all genres. I'm a big fan of Gabriela Montero who brought improvisation to classical concerts.

[duxservit]

Cross-posting from another thread, and hanging on the edges of the thread topic by its fingernails, so forgive me on both counts:

 

Listening to the Grateful Dead channel on Sirius XM satellite radio driving in to work, I had a miniature epiphany (an epiphyte?) while hearing a half hour long jam on "Uncle John's Band," with Garcia and (I think) Bruce Hornsby doing the major work:

 

Garcia was Keith Jarrett.

 

This is probably going to puzzle and/or insult both people who love Garcia and people who love Jarrett. But it was easy to hear Garcia doing long stretches of what Jarrett is most famous for: continuous improvisation, bringing up melodies and rhythms from the subconscious, weaving entire musical structures out of nothing, letting them collapse, and building new ones. Wonderful stuff.

 

Interesting comparison. On some solo concert recordings (e.g. Sun Bear) Jarrett can go on for very long streches - on his own. In fact, I think he is at his best in live recordings.

 

Garcia had some degree of "backing" (eg. from Weir). He too sounds best in live recordings.

[Musicophile]

FYI, I've just reviewed David Fray's Schubert on my blog:

 

David Fray’s elegant and intimate Schubert | musicophilesblog – from Keith Jarrett to Johannes Brahms

[MonekyDRuffy]

I think the world is never satisfied with Bloggers.. Or do u think the world wants you to stop being creative and passionate! I like your blog and your writing, thanks for sharing and thumbs up!

[Musicophile]

I think the world is never satisfied with Bloggers.. Or do u think the world wants you to stop being creative and passionate! I like your blog and your writing, thanks for sharing and thumbs up!

Thanks for your encouragement!