Melos_quartet_brahms_schumann_string_quartet

Apart from the Takacs Quartet, whose spirited, youthful account for Hungaroton/Conifer (4/88) of Schumann's three quartets was marred by inferior recorded sound, no single group has as yet given us either a complete Schumann or Brahms quartet cycle on CD—and certainly not a composite set of all six works. So all gratitude to the Melos Quartet for filling the gap. Their playing is immediately enjoyable for its warmth, its rhythmic impulse and its very positive directness. To try and place it in sharper perspective I've nevertheless taken the liberty of comparing the two discs with my cherished old LP set of the same works from the Quartetto Italiano (Philips—nla). For even though this has recently been deleted, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find it back in the shops, digitally remastered, before too long.

Schumann’s String Quartets have been waiting for a talented young group to bring a fresh voice to the few familiar ones already in the catalog. The Eroica Quartet isn’t exactly young anymore (the group started in 1993), but it certainly brings a new perspective to these works. The Melos on DG (in a two-disc box with the Brahms Quartets) and the Quartetto Itialiano on Philips have been the benchmarks for years, but this recording definitely can be placed alongside them. The players of Eroica are period performance enthusiasts, and their clear, vibrant sound certainly revitalizes the music–which represents a burst of creative energy from Schumann. He wrote these pieces within weeks of his beloved Clara’s return from a long tour, and his joy (and the mental stability she provided him) is evident throughout.

In 2014 Deutsche Grammophon celebrated the 20th anniversary of its flagship series, The Originals, with a limited edition collection featuring some of the labels greatest albums.
This second volume concludes the labels survey of its iconic series by presenting more legendary analogue albums. Including key recordings such as Beethovens Late Sonatas with Pollini, Berliozs Symphonie Fantastique with Markevitch, Brahmss Hungarian Dances with Karajan, Dvoraks New World with Fricsay, Chopin Preludes with Argerich…

In 2014 Deutsche Grammophon celebrated the 20th anniversary of its flagship series, The Originals, with a limited edition collection featuring some of the labels greatest albums.
This second volume concludes the labels survey of its iconic series by presenting more legendary analogue albums. Including key recordings such as Beethovens Late Sonatas with Pollini, Berliozs Symphonie Fantastique with Markevitch, Brahmss Hungarian Dances with Karajan, Dvoraks New World with Fricsay, Chopin Preludes with Argerich, Respighis Fontane & Pini di Roma with Karajan, Schuberts Great C major Symphony with Furtwängler, the Schumann Piano Concerto with Richter and Dichterliebe with Wunderlich, Stravinsky with Boulez, Verdi Choruses with Abbado and many more.

A 50-CD set of legendary recordings celebrating the world-renowned Decca Sound. Classic-status pioneering stereo recordings from the past 60 years and starring a galaxy of internationally-acclaimed artistic talent.