Hindemith: Complete String Quartets

Paul Hindemith (Composer), Danish Quartet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Danish Quartet
• Composer: Paul Hindemith
• Audio CD (February 4, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Cpo Records
• ASIN: B000001RYQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,393 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Str Qt No.2 in f, Op.10: Sehr Lebhaft, Straff Im Rhythmus

2. Str Qt No.2 in f, Op.10: Thema Mit Var

3. Str Qt No.2 in f, Op.10: Finale

4. Str Qt No.4, Op.22: Fugato, Sehr Langsam

5. Str Qt No.4, Op.22: Schnell Achtel

6. Str Qt No.4, Op.22: Ruhige Viertel

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Str Qt No.3 in C, Op.16: Lebhaft Und Sehr Energisch

2. Str Qt No.3 in C, Op.16: Sehr Langsam. Ausserst Ruhige Viertel

3. Str Qt No.3 in C, Op.16: Finale. Ausserst Lebhaft

4. Str Qt No.6 in E-flat: Sehr Ruhig Und Ausdrucksvoll

5. Str Qt No.6 in E-flat: Lebhaft Und Sehr Energisch

6. Str Qt No.6 in E-flat: Ruhig. Var

See all 7 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Str Qt No.1 in C, Op.2: Sehr Lebhaft

2. Str Qt No.1 in C, Op.2: Adagio

3. Str Qt No.1 in C, Op.2: Scherzo. Sehr Lebhaft

4. Str Qt No.1 in C, Op.2: Ziemlich Lebhaft

5. Str Qt No.5, Op.32: Lebhafte Halbe

6. Str Qt No.5, Op.32: Sehr Langsam, Aber Immer Fliessend

See all 7 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best quartet cycles of the 20th century, December 3, 1999

By 

V. Wilson (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hindemith: Complete String Quartets (Audio CD)

It's hard to believe that this cycle of quartets isn't better known and played more. Poor Hindemith has a reputation for writing dull, academic sounding compositions--something this music clearly refutes.

The best pieces here are the 3rd and 4th quartets (#s 2 and 3 under the more common numbering system NOT used by CPO), but all reward careful listening.

The Danish Quartet may not be a world class ensemble, but they give enthusiastic renditions of these forgotten gems and the sound is decent. CPO generously provides 3 CDs for the price of 2. Don't be afraid to dive in, this is a very enjoyable release.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recent Discovery Throws Off Conventional Numbering, April 19, 2003

By 

MARTIN SELBREDE (GEORGETOWN, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hindemith: Complete String Quartets (Audio CD)

A previous reviewer correctly noted that CPO did not number these quartets in the conventional manner. That's due to the fairly recent (mid-1990s) discovery of the actual First Quartet (opus 2) by Hindemith, which had hitherto been classified as a lost work. It only makes sense to renumber them all in light of that rediscovery. One can grasp the evolution of Hindemith's style by working through the pieces in sequence (a very rewarding experience). It's hard to imagine any ensemble performing these works better than the Danish Quartet has done here -- it's no wonder that this album had won a prestigious prize in Germany. These players think as one, so synchronized are both the phrasing and dynamics. Hindemith benefits from this high level of commitment. The two earliest works just barely suggest a 20th-century aesthetic, being riveted to the extant legacy in this genre. From the 3rd quartet and beyond, these works are forward-looking. Hindemith's commitment to tonal principles is most obvious in the later works, where conservatism meshes with inventiveness and a fair share of effortless counterpoint. All in all, an outstanding buy, and a potential wellspring of surprise to those ready to write off Hindemith as a stuffy academician.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to one of the greatest quartet cycles of the last century, August 28, 2006

By 

Julian Day (England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hindemith: Complete String Quartets (Audio CD)

The late Hans Keller regarded Hindemith as one of the few composers able to produce what he called 'intrinsic' quartets, that's to say quartets addressed in the first place to the player (the listener being, as Keller put it, "a more or less welcome eavesdropper"). This collection includes the recently re-discovered early work in C major. The performances are technically and musically excellent. As a previous reviewer has noted, there is much to be said for listening to them in the order in which they were composed, so as to follow the development of Hindemith's style over a period of three decades.

The first quartet, a student work, shows the influence of Brahms and Dvorak. It overflows with attractive melody but is heavily scored, with much double-stopping and virtually no rests. As a result, it sounds in places more like a sextet than a quartet. Disappointingly, this performance omits the repeat in the first movement. By the last (7th) quartet, written in 1945, Hindemith's writing had become more economical and transparent in texture, harking back to the great quartets of Haydn.

These are masterly compositions, displaying Hindemith's melodic gift in a way that will astonish anyone tempted to dismiss him as the author of forbidding 'Gebrauchsmusik'. Although they may indeed be 'intrinsic' quartets, addressed primarily to the player, they are in most cases so difficult to play that they are likely to prove well beyond amateur capabilities. Even those that Hindemith - himself a professional quartet player - regarded as relatively simple are technically fiendish. Those of us who must content ourselves with 'eavesdropping' are fortunate to be able to explore this underrated cycle of 20th century quartets through such a fine and reasonably priced collection of recordings.