Anton Bruckner: String Quintet / Intermezzo / Rondo

L'Archibudelli (Artist), Bruckner (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Bruckner
• Audio CD (May 2, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002APE
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,643 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Quintet for strings in F major, WAB 112: 1. Gemäßigt

2. Quintet for strings in F major, WAB 112: 2. Scherzo. Schnell - Trio. Langsamer

3. Quintet for strings in F major, WAB 112: 3. Adagio

4. Quintet for strings in F major, WAB 112: 4. Finale. Lebhaft bewegt

5. Intermezzo, for string quintet in D minor, WAB 113: Moderato - Trio. Langsamer

6. Rondo for string quartet in C minor

7. Rondo for string quartet in C minor: 1. Allegro moderato

8. Rondo for string quartet in C minor: 2. Andante

9. Rondo for string quartet in C minor: 3. Scherzo. Presto - Trio

10. Rondo for string quartet in C minor: 4. Rondo. Schnell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technically good, but interesting rather than compelling, June 2, 2002

By 

sphaerenklang "stringph - at - gmail" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anton Bruckner: String Quintet / Intermezzo / Rondo (Audio CD)

L' Archibudelli are known for "period-instrument" performances of Classical and Romantic works - i.e. gut strings, relatively light tone, not much vibrato. I have listened to some of their other recordings and find that while the sonority is easy to get used to, and helps the music's texture to be audible, I don't like the mannerisms of the group and the overall interpretation so much. Perhaps it has something to do with coming from a Baroque background, but the players seem to pay too much attention to little, supposedly "expressive" details which draw attention to themselves, while distracting from the overall line of the music. This is most noticeable in the Quintet's first and third movements - at some points the leader seems to be trying to shape each note individually, rather than letting them be parts of a larger whole. In Bruckner, melodic phrases last for several bars, so any attempt to interpret them as smaller units is ultimately rather tiring for the listener who has to piece them together again. This super-sensitive approach is encouraged by the slow tempos for these movements - the temptation is to "do something" to make all the long notes more "interesting". I also didn't like how the violins played some quiet passages with virtually no tone at all - at some points you strain to hear the melody! This does draw your attention, but only as a "special effect", not really serving the music. Good string players should be able to sustain a "singing" tone while playing even very quietly, what you get here is more like a breathy whisper. Conversely, in loud passages, there is very occasionally a feeling that they are trying to get too much out of the instruments and making a harsh sound (try near the beginning of the fourth movement).

My biggest annoyance is the very audible and conspicuous sniffing that seems to have been orchestrated between several of the players, right at an emotional climax of the Quintet's slow movement. Needless to say, it does not persuade me of their emotional committment - only the sound coming from the instruments could do that. The moment is somewhat ruined by this addition of this nasal instrumentation, which is not marked in the score... You can also hear a sniffing "solo" from the 'cello about one minute into the first movement - apparently Bylsma is incapable of playing a syncopated theme without rhythmic assistance from his nostrils. We wouldn't accept musicians marking time by tapping their feet, why are string players' noses any different?

On the plus side, the rhythm and tuning are very accurate, and the recording is technically very good; probably this is the second choice to get after a more straightforward interpretation, maybe the Brandis (on Nimbus) or Alberni (on CRD) quartets. Unfortunately good recordings of the Quintet are thin on the ground.

The other pieces for quartet aren't really worth buying the disc for - they represent early Bruckner, at the time when he wasn't sure what sort of composer he wanted to be - good for musicologists to study, I suppose.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bruckner's chamber music on a single disc., February 26, 2005

By 

R. McColley (Urbana, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anton Bruckner: String Quintet / Intermezzo / Rondo (Audio CD)

Anner Bylsma and his associates play period instruments
quite splendidly, and have an excellent feel for the great
Bruckner Quintet. They also make the "student" works
from Bruckner's Linz period (he was, in fact, in his late
thirties) sound like very good music indeed. I write this
because today's report from Amazon.com is that only
one disc remains to sell, and that for almost twice the
price when it was new (1994). Please, Sony, press up a new
batch and offer this outstanding disc at your usual price.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bruckner's Quintet..., November 29, 2009

By 

Sébastien Melmoth (Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anton Bruckner: String Quintet / Intermezzo / Rondo (Audio CD)

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Bruckner: String Quintet (F-major, 1879):

L'Archibudelli (Sony, 1994)
I. Gemäßigt [13'49]
II. Scherzo-Trio [07'33]
III. Adagio [14'17]
IV. Finale [08'40]

Raphael Ensemble (Hyperion, 1993)
I. Gemäßigt [11'25]
II. Scherzo-Trio [07'44]
III. Adagio [14'00]
IV. Finale [08'46]

Prazák (Praga, 1996)
I. Gemäßigt [09'29]
II. Scherzo-Trio [05'55]
III. Adagio [08'45]
IV. Finale [09'40]

Vienna Phil Quintet (Decca, 1975)
I. Gemäßigt [12'09]
II. Scherzo-Trio [06'33]
III. Adagio [15'32]
IV. Finale [08'34]

Amadeus (Deutsche Grammophon, 1965)
I. Gemäßigt [13'18]
II. Scherzo-Trio [07'51]
III. Adagio [13'53]
IV. Finale [09'47]

Fine Arts (Naxos, 2007)
I. Gemäßigt [13'51]
II. Scherzo-Trio [07'32]
III. Adagio [13'13]
IV. Finale [10'06]

Leipziger (MD&G, 2004)
I. Gemäßigt [12'55]
II. Scherzo-Trio [07'53]
III. Adagio [13'53]
IV. Finale [10'10]

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