3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dense, Haunting and fantastically realized, January 5, 2010
This review is from: Peter Maxwell Davies: Naxos Quartets Nos. 5 & 6 (Audio CD)
Much has been written about the unique partnership between Naxos and Maxwell Davies. There have been some special pairings between composers and record houses before, but the commission of 10 new string quartets by one of the towering giants of the 20th century makes my heart sing. For too long enthusiasts of 20th century music have had to apologize, to explain, to use too many "howevers" and "If you look beyonds..." in their reviews of music. Maxwell Davies' 10 string quartets in general and the 5th and 6th in particular make no apologies needed. This is special music indeed--it is dense, yes. It is tightly packed with dissonance, yes. However, if you look beyond...Oh heck. Alright, this music still won't be easy for the casual listener of classical music, but I beg you. Don't stop with Ravel. Don't listen to the Isolde chords and think, "Wow, that was intense..." Be prepared to give your heart flight and take these deeply emotional string quartets into your soul. Maxwell Davies is music to sing over and over in your head, and I can explain it no other way. Let me be clear--there is no melody that you will hum along with (unless you are Tibetan), but these speak the language of feeling, of complexity, of people who are questing, yearning, searching. These string quartets are treasures to be taken out and shown to everyone, to be listened to in joy and in sorrow. To be heard while sitting by a fire and watching the flames dance, while contemplating the falling snow. There is wildness here, there is danger here, but the beauty--the difficult, nearly indescribable beauty---Ah, rapture! Please, start with the first and second string quartets, and work your way through this entire cycle, then start over again...
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