Arnold Schoenberg 2: String Quartets 1-4 - Arditti String Quartet / Dawn Upshaw [Box set]

Arnold Schoenberg (Composer), Arditti String Quartet (Performer), Dawn Upshaw (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Arditti String Quartet, Dawn Upshaw
• Composer: Arnold Schoenberg
• Audio CD (December 6, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Disques Montaigne
• ASIN: B000003VQK
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #42 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Upshaw, Dawn

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7: 1. Nicht zu rasch (pas trop vite)

2. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7: 2. Kräftig (énergique)

3. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7: 3. Mässig (modéré)

4. String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7: 4. Mässig (modéré)

5. String Quartet No. 2 for soprano & string quartet in F sharp minor, Op. 10: 1. Mässig (moderato)

6. String Quartet No. 2 for soprano & string quartet in F sharp minor, Op. 10: 2. Sehr rasch (très rapide)

7. String Quartet No. 2 for soprano & string quartet in F sharp minor, Op. 10: 3. Litanei langsam (lent)

8. String Quartet No. 2 for soprano & string quartet in F sharp minor, Op. 10: 4. Entrückung Sehr langsam (Eloignement trés lent)

Disc: 2

1. String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30: 1. Moderato

2. String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30: 2. Adagio

3. String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30: 3. Intermezzo, allegro moderato

4. String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30: 4. Rondo, molto moderato

5. String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37: 1. Allegro molto, energico

6. String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37: 2. Scherzo (comodo)

7. String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37: 3. Largo

8. String Quartet No. 4, Op. 37: 4. Allegro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hauntingly beautiful, April 6, 1999

By 

Joseph S. Barrera III "joebar" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arnold Schoenberg 2: String Quartets 1-4 - Arditti String Quartet / Dawn Upshaw (Audio CD)

I love these quartets, and I listen to them for their deep beauty. This recording is such an important part of my collection that I am buying a second copy because there is a skip on the second CD (from careless handling... sigh). Regarding denisdiderot's comments, I offer in rebuttal the following quote, from "Schoenberg the Romantic"

"On the surface, most of his music appears to be a complete departure from anything previously written, utilizing bizarre harmonies, unresolving dissonances, extreme dynamics, and disjunct melodies. However, a closer look reveals that not only does Schoenberg cling to the musical ideals of the Romantic era, but also that his predecessors, including Brahms, Wagner, Mahler, Strauss, and even Beethoven, already had begun to develop the stylistic techniques which Schoenberg's audiences found so shocking. Schoenberg took these beginnings of a style, which later became known as expressionism, and simply brought them to their logical conclusion by destroying tonality. In the period between the destruction of tonality and the development of the twelve-tone method, Schoenberg created works which look to Romantic ideals for their structure, yet which deny one of the most important parts of this Romantic structure, tonality, since he thought Wagner had exhausted the possibilities of tonality in Tristan and Isolde."

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic quartets beautifully played, May 9, 1999

By 

Karl Henzy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arnold Schoenberg 2: String Quartets 1-4 - Arditti String Quartet / Dawn Upshaw (Audio CD)

It's really difficult to understand DenisDiderot's hostility for this music. If he doesn't like atonality, why did he buy a two-disc Schoenberg set? One could easily say something about such conservative musical taste reflecting an uptight stance to life, but really, I just feel sorry for people who can't enjoy the beauty, power, depth of such music, played so brilliantly by the extraordinary Arditti Quartet.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Schoenberg could compete, May 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Arnold Schoenberg 2: String Quartets 1-4 - Arditti String Quartet / Dawn Upshaw (Audio CD)

Diderot did not listen to the first quartet well enough. Schoenberg almost brought the romantic period to a thundering close with it. But the atonal quartets are the best. They are a treasure trove of sounds waiting to be heard for the first time. Even after the 50th hearing, there are still things I've missed. I like the lyrical quality of these quartets the best; a trait the Arditti Quartet brings out well.