Saint-Saens String Quartets (2) Ops. 112 and 153

viola" Ariel Rudiakov (Performer), cello Ann Kim (Composer), Equinox String Quartet (Orchestra), Camille Saint-Saens (Performer), violin Quan Jiang (Performer), violin Lun Jiang (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: viola" Ariel Rudiakov, Camille Saint-Saens, violin Quan Jiang, violin Lun Jiang
• Orchestra: Equinox String Quartet
• Composer: cello Ann Kim
• Audio CD (December 15, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Eroica Classical Recordings
• ASIN: B00000FDIC
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,652 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Str Qt in G, Op.153: I. Allegro Animato

2. Str Qt in G, Op.153: II. Molto Adagio

3. Str Qt in G, Op.153: III. Interlude And Finale

4. Str Qt in e, Op.112: I. Allegro

5. Str Qt in e, Op.112: II. Molto Allegro Quasi Presto

6. Str Qt in e, Op.112: III. Molto Adagio

7. Str Qt in e, Op.112: IV. Allegro Non Troppo

Editorial Reviews

American Record Guide, Nov/Dec 1998

"The First Quartet is almost otherworldly. At their best the players seem as surprised and as delighted at the harmonic richness of the Second Quartet as any listener. Their spontaneity is as winning as an unexpected smile."

Product Description

This CD is destined to become a collector's item. One of only three recordings featuring both Saint-Saens String Qurtets on the same CD, it is delightfully and exquisitely performed by The Equinox String Quartet, which is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the finest ensembles in the musical world. Its members, world class performers Lun Jiang and Quan Jiang, violins; Ariel Rudiakov, viola; and Ann Kim; cello, have studied at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and Yale University; with some of the most prominent names in chamber music, including members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet, and cellist Nathaniel Rosen. The Equinox String Quartet performs a wide range of repertoire from classical standards to contemporary pieces, specializing in the identification of new and unusual works by great composers. This is their debut CD, released by Eroica Classical Recordings.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten music..., September 20, 2005

By	Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I don't understand why a lot of Saint-Saens music has been essentially swept under the rug. I get the feeling that there are two reasons; 1) Saint-Saens was a bit of an anachronism, writing these truly Romantic-era style quartets into the mid-1910's; and 2)while a full-blown Romantic, he did not necessarily adhere to the Sonata form, with the exception of his most famous works, i.e. Piano Concertos 2 and 4, Symphony No. 3, Violin Conerto No.3, and Cello Concerto No.1, along with a few others. Unfortunately, as a result of this, musical purists have essentially excluded almost all of his works from the standard repetoire, and therefore beautiful music like this goes unnoticed.
Don't get me wrong; I love the quartets of the masters, like Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Mozart, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schubert and the like; but these quartets in my opinion stand with some of the formers' masterworks. Saint-Saens was a musical prodigy who could play all of Beethoven's piano sonatas by the age of 8; and while he often broke the rules musically speaking, he shouldn't be punished for it. (re: Wagner).
The performances couldn't be better. The musicians easily tackle his demanding scores and bring the music the breath of life it needs. The second quartet is wonderful - it is in e Minor - I think I prefer it to the first. The opening leads you into a lovely, melodic allegro which is full of polyphonics (he was obsessed with fugue, thus his nickname "the French Mendelssohn") and wonderful harmonies. The second movement contains a great string fugue - anyone who likes late Beethoven quartets will definitely want to hear this. the slow movement is beautiful, and the finale is amazing, with a bombastic ending. The G Major quartet more closely adheres to classical sonata sound, if not form ; in spite of this "shortcoming",it is also a lovely piece with a lot of memorable melodies. I don't really want to write a full review of every track, but suffice it to say that this album is worth picking up. Saint-Saens is mostly forgotten, but these pieces deserve their place.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saint-saëns String Quartets, August 4, 2002

By A Customer

These are by far my favorite Saint-Saëns pieces, and my favorite string quartets by any composer. The more I listen to this cd, the more I love it.