Customer Reviews

Janácek: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a Janacek fan with a working cd player, and I certainly haven't got money to burn. I'd just like to proffer a rather more enthusiastic review. First, these works are widely considered to be masterworks in the string quartet repertory. Second, the Vlach Quartet's rendering is in my view excellent, though I don't claim to have heard other performances: certainly, this ensemble has received very good reviews from professional critics. Third, the sound quality is about as good as my working cd player will permit! Nice liner notes, too, and attractive fillers (I mean the violin sonata and the pohadka). In short, an excellent choice for anyone with an eye for a bargain and a taste for hardcore string quartets (late Beethoven, Bartok, Shostakovich, Berg...). And if you like this sort of stuff, maybe you'll also like Purcell's Fantasias, Bach's Cello Suites, Reich's Different Trains, and/or Ram Narayan on sarangi. Though did I hear you say you don't know what a sarangi is?

This was a Christmas present for my granddaughter so I have not reviewed it but the delivery service and condition were excellent.

Though I remain neutral towards the rest of the material on the CD, the performance and interpretation of Janacek's string quartet I found to be exceptionally poor. The performance seemed to lack both the technical and emotional aspects of the work; the players often seeming to on the verge of losing hold of these admittedly demanding works. I would highly recommend the Hagen Quartet's interpretation of the two string quartets and urge anyone interested in the work of Leos Janacek, at the very least, to simply look and listen elsewhere.

if you're a janacek fan with very little money and a working cd player this may be the disc for you. i'm not overly familiar with the composer's work myself and wouldnt exactly say this disc made me a convert but it is well worth a listen. not exactly my cuppa tea since i generally listen to string quartets when i'm trying to brood over the meaning of life and whatnot but still these are some pleasant, high energy pieces well played by prague's very own vlach quartet. sound recording is alright, it aint mind-blowing but what exactly do you expect for this price?