BARTOK: String Quartets (Complete)

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Total Tracks: 23   Total Length: 154:08

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Gavin Borchert

eMusic Contributor

Gavin Borchert is a composer and music critic living in Seattle.

04.22.11
The raw, unadorned side of concert hall folk music.
Label: Naxos

Many composers have been inspired by folk music, neatening it up somewhat for the concert hall, but Bartok was particularly drawn to its raw, unadorned side. His six quartets, written between 1908 and 1939, include astringent harmonies, asymmetrical rhythms, harsh, driving, thrilling fast movements and the shadowy, uncanny flutterings of a style he called "night music," all drawn from the vernacular music of his native Hungary and other Balkan states.

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Marvelous

austina

The Best Bartok quartet performance I have heard to date, the Vermeer bring out the lyricism, edginess and sweetness of Bartok in one rich organic whole... simply compelling and uplifting

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Incredible Interpretation

vamanadeva

If one is inclined to minor dissonanace in the modern vernacular or brilliant phrasing and interpretation, this set is a classic. Vermeer Quartet are totally impressive.

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Bartok was a rock star!

boswellian

I purchased this CD set years ago and have since worn out the discs completely; I recently tried to rip the CDs, only to find they were too scratched. I was so happy to find them on Emusic! These quartets are haunting at times, often humorous, and also violently raucous. It's an amazing experience to see them performed live; the performers (if they're any good) constantly alternate between dancing lovingly with their instruments or seemingly tearing them apart. The quality of the rip is excellent, the sound very warm and clean, the "Bartok pizzicatos" crisp and alive. Also check out Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra...my single favorite piece of "classical" music.

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String Quartets

By Gavin Borchert, eMusic Contributor

The musical layout of melody, bass line and harmony parts is a standard template in Western tonal music; examples include the Baroque trio sonata, a typical jazz trio or a basic rock band. Yet another combination has played a central role in Western music since the mid-18th century: the string quartet. Two violins, viola and cello were already standard for the string section of an orchestra (with double basses and cellos playing the same line… more »