Customer Reviews

Faure: String Quartet in Em Op.121; Bridge: String Quartet No1; Milhaud: Quartet No.7 in B-flat, Op.87

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I bought this disc as an experiment. I'd read a review on a complete set of Milhaud quartets that sparked my interest. I thought the Faure (who is also completely unfamilliar to me) would be a nice bonus.
In the end, all three of these works are excellent. The Milhaud and Faure are full of lovely moments. In the Faure I hear a few fleeting familliar chords/harmonies that remind me of the Ravel quartet, but I wouldn't say it sounds "like" Ravel's quartet. It has a lot of depth.
I was indifferent to the Bridge at first, but after a few listens I started to "get it". Bridge's quartet is melodious, original and inventive.
For me all three of these quartets seemed just "ok" on first listen, but have since grown on me. I've learned over the years that if I don't like the melody of a piece, I'll probably never like it, but if I'm left cold or "lost", than the music usually just takes more time to get to know and love.
The sound quality of this recording is perfect. The sound is natural and crystal clear.
I can't immagine a better performance. I'd definitely be interested in hearing more recordings by the Stanford quartet.
I don't think any lover of quartets from this time period (1920's) will be disappointed.

These are three interesting quartets, well played and recorded. I bought it for the Faure -- always enjoy his stuff -- but was pleasantly surprised by the others. The Frank Bridge is a particularly enjoyable piece. I would say these are all in the late romantic/impressionist style. Well worth your time if you enjoy chamber music of that type.