Customer Reviews

Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet

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Bela Bartók was a very great composer and virtuoso pianist who wrote some of the most important music of the twentieth century. Born in Transylvania, Hungary in 1881, he received his first music lessons from his mother who was herself a gifted pianist. He began performing in public at an early age, and received a solid musical education. At eighteen he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest. There he continued his studies in piano and composition. His early compositional style was modeled on Brahms (a great choice). His interests expanded and he not only began using folk elements of Hungary, but wanted to explore musical elements from his home in Transylvania, as well as Romanian and Slavonic materials.

Bartók became friends with Zoltan Kodály and they toured around the region collecting folk songs that became important compositional resources for both of them. The features of asymmetric rhythms, polytonality, and piercing dissonances in their music are all rooted in these folk traditions. However, Bartók was also influenced by the music of the Impressionists and especially by Debussy. He came to America in 1940 and died from leukemia in 1945. All his life he had financial difficulties and was quite bitter at his inability to support his family. His fame has grown since his death and his music continues to be performed and appreciated. These six quartets are not only important pieces in the composer's catalog of works, but in the entire literature of the string quartet.

While the playing of string instruments in small ensembles dates back hundreds of years, and any four together could be termed a quartet, the term "string quartet" actually means a specific ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello and, usually, a four movement form of fast, slow, menuet (or scherzo), and a fast finale. Yes, there are exceptions to these generalities, but they just prove the rule. The string quartet as we know it was developed and codified by Franz Joseph Haydn in the mid-eighteenth century. He wrote more than sixty of them, and his young friend, the genius Mozart, wrote more than twenty. Beethoven's sixteen string quartets, especially the later ones, became monuments in the form. Since then, many great composers have used this form to write some of their most beautiful, and, often, daring and complex music.

Why this form for that kind of exploration? The string quartet allows for a wonderful combination of brilliant solo playing and a kind of ensemble playing that is not possible in a symphony orchestra. The textures are more transparent and the possibilities for compositional exploration push the limits of the instruments and players to the extreme.

These six quartets were not written as a set. The first two were completed in 1909 and 1917, respectively. The last four were written in 1927, 1928, 1934, and 1939. Bartók had received a commission to write a seventh, but died before the work could be done.

Although the driving rhythms, the ways Bartók has the players use their instruments, the sharp dissonances, and quarter-tones do not shock as they once did, they can still be quite disorienting to a listener who is not aware of what is going on. What a listener should not do is to expect Bartók to turn into Mozart or Schubert at any moment. Just relax and let the music come to you. After several hearings you will begin to develop connections in the music and realize that it is largely tonal music. Bartók may use twelve-tones, but never the technique of Schoenberg. His musical ideas of counterpoint and structure and rooted in the same traditional methods of the great composers, but his harmonic and rhythmic language has some twists in it and the playing style is extended. It is really quite beautiful, poignant, and, at times, amazingly fun.

The Emerson Quartet is a wonderfully talented ensemble. They bring great intelligence and skill to this music and I recommend this recording highly. Some might wish a broader, less exact playing style, but I am not one of them. Bartók meant exactly what he wrote down and it takes a monumental technique to pull off. Extra arm waving and less precise technique do not make for a better performance in my book. One of my teachers wisely insisted that so much of what is called "expression" in music is simply sloppy technique. He also insisted that if you can't play it the same, you can't play it different. He was absolutely right.

Explore, Enjoy, and be Delighted!

If you are new to Bartok or even twentieth century chamber works, then this recording is fine place to start. The Emerson Quartet built their lofty reputation through the status of this recording, and their series of spectacular concerts where they play the quartets, one to six in one night.

These quartets can sound tough and uncompromising to tender ears but once you gently get to know them i.e. while studying or reading, your mind almost unconsciously unlocks the music and you soon are struck by the realisation that this is amongst the most beautiful, moving and exciting music you may ever hear.

These quartets span Bartok's entire career and are quite occupy quite different sound worlds. The first is early, a good acclimatiser but only really a foothill, the second is gentle and humane, troubled and reflective, a deeply emotional work, the third: short, intense, challenging, but life-affirmingly rhythmic with a wild joyous close, then the grand showpiece, the fourth contains some of the most astonishing and exhilarating sounds you will hear some from a quartet. I still am cool towards the fifth and sixth, dunno they just don't click, indeed not everyone will take to shine to all or any of this music. The trick is to not sit sternly into front of the speakers, waiting on revelation, just give the music a chance to come to you.

The six quartets penned by the original and brilliant Béla Bartók represent the pinnacle of musical, particullarly modern, compostion in music. I will try to list a few of the many reasons these compostions are masterpieces. First of all, Bartók demonstrated the limits of what is and is not tonality. One must admire the amazing truce Bartók seemed to make with the tonal and atonal techniques. Second of all, the imagination and originality shown by the various demands on the performer to create some of the most unusual sounds from the string instruments, such as the "Bartók pizzacato" employed the most in the fourth movement of the fourth quartet, which calls on the performer to pluck a string so hard that it hits the fingerboard, was unprecedented by any composer for any instruments. Finally, and possibly most importantly, these quartets contain the power to inflict any emotion upon ther listener whether it is exhilartion to depression while encompassing the use of the techniques listed above. These quartets can be very violent and furious, but also can contain an original form of serenity.

As for the Emerson String Quartet's rendition of these quartets, I uphold as much admiration one can have for the performer without taking away from the actual composer's credit. The quartet always maintains the correct amount of balence that is a necessity for the four instruments. The Emerson also is able to always hit each percussive and dissonant chord simultainiously with a new level of perfection and percision. The tempi chosen for the various movements is very agreeable and never sounds rushed or dragged. This is a very crisp recording that has no background interference. I also must mention the unity the quartet maintains in the rapid moments of the music, such as the in second movement of the second quartet.

These quartets are recommended for everyone, but might not attract those who just enjoy music to serve in the background rather than to be analyzed.

Enjoy the great rendition of the Emerson perfecting Bartók!!

Emerson's Bartok is definitely worth listening to. Their playing is beautiful and interpretation thoughtful. With all respect to this fine ensemble however, their recording has nothing that hasn't been heard in the Tokyo recordings of years ago. The Tokyo has more the kind of energy and dynamism needed for this music. If you're an Emerson fan, by all means, get the CD. you'll love it. If you're a Bartok fan however, get the Tokyo. enjoy!

I have listened to no less than eight different Bartok cycles from all of the top, and not so much, ensembles over the years. I have never had the pleasure to listen to this two grammy winning set. Wow, I can't believe what I was missing; it's like a door has been opened to these masterpieces. I've never heard them played like this, with so much detail, color and awesome DG sound quality. I certainly do not miss the echo that is found on many other recordings that some insist adds depth and ambiance; rather I find it adds annoyance and removes much of the separation of instruments. To each his own. This set has truly made me a happy man, knowing that if I find myself on a deserted island with this set, I will live or die with a smile on my face. Do not hesitate to purchase this set. If for some incomprehensible reason you do not enjoy this recording, I guarantee you that it will make a great, if not life altering, gift to someone with better ears than you. If you are new to this material or have found it hard to digest, then this is the place to start and end for you. Do yourself a favor and order this right now; operators are standing by. Seriously, this recording put the Bartok cycle right up there with Shostakovich for me, which I thought could never ever happen. If you knew how much I revere Shostakovich and his 15 quartets, then you would know that this is bordering on sacrilege. If you won't believe me, remember that this recording won the grammy for best chamber music recording and also best classical album. In addition, read the following review from Gramaphone:

A new cycle of quartets Bartok quartets has to be pretty special if it is to stand out in such select company as the above. The Emerson Quartet's is, and it does. Their nearest counterparts are the Alban Berg on EMI, in that both ensembles are powerful and refined, pay close attention to the letter of the score, and excel in virtuoso teamwork. The differences are that the Emerson are better recorded, are accommodated on two CDs (the Berg are on three), do not suffer from embarrassing mis-readings, show more imagination in countless details and, perhaps surprisingly, outshine their rivals on their 'home territory', namely the virtuosic 'middle' quartets.
The impression one gains from these recordings (I have not seen the Quartet in the concert hall) is of massive tonal projection and superlative clarity, each textural strand coloured and made audible to a degree possibly unrivalled in the recorded history of these works. DG's close brightly-lit, yet never oppressive recording quality must share some of the credit for that, of course. Combine this with controlled vehemence, headlong velocity and razor-sharp unanimity (any fast movement from quartets two to five can serve as illustration) and you have a formidable alliance of virtues.

At the other end of the scale, precision of sonority in a movement like the central night-music of No. 4 is no less remarkable, and attention to details of accent is scrupulous--for example, I wondered whether the first violin had fluffed a couple of 'snapped' pizzicatos in the following movement; in fact he differentiates between snaps with and without sforzando.

It may nevertheless be felt that this imaginative variety of sound is less conspicuous at low dynamic levels and in passages of more or less romantic expressiveness. Indeed, at the outset of No. 1 I suspected this would be as real a deficiency as it is with the Alban Berg--after all this work is supposed to be Bartok's 'funeral dirge' for his romance with Stefi Geyer, not a recreation of its passionate high-points. That suspicion is soon dispelled, however--as soon, in fact, as the viola's appassionato recitative on the third page. It returns, I have to say, in the outer movements of No. 6, where the sense of loss which surely lies behind the music is less fully registered than it might be. Again, others have found more inwardness in the opening of No. 3 and more mystery, astonishment even, in the slow movements of No. 5. Sul tasto 'one-hair-of-the-bow' huskiness may be something the Emerson could afford to deploy a little more daringly.

These reservations are not meant to deter anyone from buying a set which deserves to be hugely successful and which would be a worthy award winner. And I certainly don't want to imply that the performances are inexpressive; on the contrary, they are compellingly intense and passionate, and by no means indiscriminately so. But it would be a pity if the Emerson were to eclipse the rather different merits of the Vegh (Astree Auvidis/Pinnacle) who may not command such a kaleidoscopic range of colour but who conjour up more interesting shadows and probe into more mysterious, intimate corners (the Takacs on Hungaroton/Conifer take a broadly similar approach, without reaching quite the same level of artistry). Presumably DG's commitment to the Emerson means we will have to wait that much longer for the return of the classic Hungarian Quartet recordings to the catalogue, and the famous earlier mono Vegh set on Columbia is no less worthy of reinstatement. But for the moment it is a pleasure to welcome the appearance of what must be one of the most exciting chamber music recordings of recent years.

-- Gramophone [12/1988]

Bartok's 6 string quartets are some of the best quartets ever written. Bartok's unique folk-music-like style comes out best in his works for strings. The works have a very rustic and gypsy-like sound, yet Bartok constructed them to perfection. His unique use of tonality is demonstrated best in these quartets in which all instruments jump through 12 tones and still keep a tonal center. Aaron Copland, in his book "What To Listen For In Music", suggests these quartets by the Emerson Quartet as an excellent place to start in exploring the music of Bela Bartok. If one is looking for a good recording to bring them into the appreciation of 20th century and contemporary music, these quartets are the place to start. Furthermore, Emerson does such a FABULOUS job. The quartet actually performed the whole cycle of quartets in a concert. Any group of musicians who can keep an audience entertained with over 2 hours of very complex and enigmatic music deserves recognition. So recognize Emerson and BUY THIS RECORDING!!!

This is an excellent recording of the Bartok quartets. This music requires careful and repeated listening to really appreciate the structure of Bartok's achievement. The effort is quite worthwhile. Common criticism of this recording is that the Emerson isn't 'rough' enough, presumably meaning even and relatively conventional tempi and intonation. These performances, however, are the work of musicians who aim at being a vehicle of the music rather than drawing attention to themselves. For someone like me, who is listening to these pieces for the first time, this is probably a particularly good introduction to the Bartok quartets. There are other highly praised recent recordings and differentiating among them is a matter of taste.

One reviewer said that Emerson wasn't rough enough. When this was released, I believe it was the roughest interpretation I had ever heard! Over-all, these are very good performances (and 100% accurate). The weakness of these performances is the gentler sections which, though technically perfect, lack feeling and conviction. Béla Bartók: The Six String Quartets - Juilliard String Quartet does a very good job of the quiet sections, but lacks power on the aggressive parts.

My favorite recording of these pieces is Bartók: 6 String Quartets by the Hungarian String Quartet. Since I bought that I haven't listened to other recordings of this piece.

The Emerson gives performances worthy of the monumental stature of Bartok's String Quartets. This quartet seems to think with one mind, always matching in expression and tone quality. Utterly refined playing, yet alternately wrenchingly emotional, fiercely agressive, bitterly sarcastic, and unabashedly gleeful. The Emerson seems to consitently get right to the heart of Bartok's meaning.

This performance grabs you by your shirt collar, stares you in the eye, and doesn't let you go until after the last notes have sounded. Thoroughly riveting.

I saw the Emerson play some of these quartets live shortly after this recording won the Grammy for best classical album. The live performance was even more exciting than the recording. Ten years later, I still consider this the best concert I have ever been to bar none. You need this CD.

The String Quartet is one genre that experienced a renaissance in the 20th century. After its birth in the hands of Haydn and its apotheosis in those of Beethoven, the string quartet slowly declined in popularity during the second half of the 19th century (simply compare the output-- Beethoven wrote seventeen quartets; Brahms wrote four. Many late romantic composers wrote none. Even more than numbers, the string quartet ceased to be considered one of the central genres of Western art music). Then a miracle occurred-- in the 20th century composers broke away from the ever burdening weight of late 19th century chromaticism and large symphonic forms. Composers returned to the string quartet as a central genre-- the six string quartets of Bartok are core pieces in his output and reflect his compositional development as he matured.

The string quartets are not works to be listened to passively-- they are energetic and vivacious pieces, full of chromaticism, dissonance, and driving (Hungarian) rhythms. Throughout his lifetime, Bartok had a keen interest in the folk music of Hungary and other countries, and he often incorporated the folk melodies into his compositions, either directly, or by absorbing the style and composing new melodies in the folk style. At the same time, Bartok incorporated elements of the modern atonal style in his writing. In the end, these quartets are incredibly rich because of the breadth of influence and amalgamation of styles. I certainly recommend the works for anyone looking for a route into music of the 20th century.

The Emerson quartet's recording is strong and polished, but I feel it lacks a certain amount of energy needed to perform these works-- I prefer the recording by the Takács Quartet, mainly because they give an even more spirited rendition of these works. But, I would by no means say that this is a bad recording, and if you are a die-hard fan of the Emerson Quartet, by all means grab this one.