Juilliard+string+quartet

These quartets are Juilliard specialties, and anyone wanting to hear this music played with a near ideal combination of virtuosity and humanity need look no further. Carter's quartets are not for the musically faint of heart: they are uncompromisingly thorny, intricate pieces that require lots of intense, dedicated listening. Very few people doubt their seriousness–or even their claims to musical greatness–but just as few people enjoy listening to them. Perhaps this spectacular set will encourage the adventurous to give them a shot. They're worth the time.

The Juilliard String Quartet was one of the pioneering string quartet formations of the 20th century. Virtuosity in playing technique, sovereign creative power and precisely coordinated tonal balance with X-ray-quality intonation purity characterized the playing of the New York formation around founder and primarius Robert Mann. Indulging in tonal beauty was not their priority. In this way, they moved somewhat outside of what was customary in Central Europe at the time. Their complete recordings for the RCA label, for which they recorded in the short period from 1957 to 1960, appear for the first time bundled on 11 CDs.

The Juilliard String Quartet has distinguished itself as one of the longest-standing quartets in the U.S., responsible for the premieres of countless new works as well as commanding performances of the standard repertoire. Its earliest performances of Beethoven drew a substantial amount of attention for its more aggressive, in-the-string approach that did not treat Beethoven as a delicate flower as some quartets of the day had. These characteristics survived in the quartet even as its membership changed. This Medici Arts DVD samples one quartet from each of Beethoven's three main style periods, performed in 1975 at Polling in Bavaria.

Sony Classical releases Juilliard String Quartet – The Early Columbia Recordings: Sony Classical is excited to present a newly remastered selection in 24bit of the earliest albums of this august American ensemble. Made between 1949 and 1956 in Columbia’s studio on Manhattan’s 30th St., these landmark recordings are mostly new to listeners…

Schubert's final four quartets represent the last flowering of the Viennese Classical style. Their melodic generosity has always appealed to music lovers (and quartet players), though in the hands of some less disciplined ensembles the music can tend to sprawl. That's never a danger with these warm, impulsive performances, which allow the music's natural lyricism to flow vigorously without ever becoming sticky or sentimental. Schubert's String Quartet No. 12 is the single movement also known as the Quartettensatz ("Quartet Movement"), but the other three quartets are full-length, indeed epic works that bear comparison with the late works of Beethoven in musical richness and profundity.

Here's a deluxe package if ever there were one! Itzhak Perlman and Jorge Bolet join the Juilliard Quartet in a smashing performance of one of the most unusual works in all of music. Chausson's Concert (not "Concerto," please note) really is, in effect, a violin concerto in which the accompaniment is not the full orchestra but a piano quintet. Add to that the fully symphonic form of the piece, and the result is a unique musical creation that remains one of the chamber-music repertoire's best-kept secrets. Listen to this recording, and you'll be amazed that the music's not better known.