Customer Reviews

Schubert: String Quartet in G major (arr Victor Kissine) (ECM)

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One of Franz Schubert's many great works is his String Quartet No.15 in G Major composed in 1826 - the year before his untimely death at the age of 31.
This 2005 recording on the ECM label presents the quartet in a stunning new version for string orchestra realized by Victor Kissine and directed by violinist Gidon Kremer. While some purists may find this arrangement to be a sacrilige to the original quartet, the end result is quite beautiful.
Kissine and Kremer have magically transformed this brilliant work into somewhat of a concerto for string orchestra with the quartet instruments being used as soloists. The drama and intensity of Schubert's original quartet is maintained throughout the work and the additional strings add further depth bringing certain musical nuances forward that weren't quite noticable in the original (unless one listened carefully).
In the end, this is a fantastic recording that exceeded my expectations. While this CD may have its share of naysayers, I think it would be safe to say that quite possibly Schubert himself would be proud of this arrangement of one of his finest string quartets.
Hats off to Gidon Kremer and Victor Kissine for pulling it off.

When I saw this disc, I was immediate interested because G Major quartet is a personal favorite, and a piece crying to burst out from the limitations imposed by four instruments. But, this is really a disappointment.

Part of the problem is the arrangement which makes far too much use of a solo quartet embedded in the larger string orchestra. Certainly, there are passages that cry out for a soloist, but if one believes that the piece benefits from a full string section, then these should be few and far between.

Instead, in the first two movements especially, there are long solo sections for the first violin and cello played against the richer accompaniment of a full string section. Only rarely do we get to hear the power of the full string section. It's as if Mr. Kissine really only wanted to augment a regular quartet in certain spots. Only in the scherzo do we begin to get to hear what a full string section provides, except that he undercuts this be reverting to 'soloist' mode in the lovely trio. The finale doesn't provide too many solo opportunities, so it works fairly well, though the horse has long left the barn by that point.

The bigger flaw with this recording, though, is the completely limp direction Kremer provides. The first two movement are almost completely devoid of rhythmic pulse and musical phrasing. Worse, Kremer seems to have no overriding view of the piece as well, so limp phrase follows limp phrase with no plan. The various sections just lie next to each other with no suggestion as to how they should interact.

Kremer adopts tempos that are marginally too slow in the first two movements, but this would be OK if there was any sort of tension. Instead, it almost seems as if the orchestra is sight-reading the thing, trying not to make mistakes. When the scherzo arrives with some rhythmic life it seems like a different group altogether is playing, but they immediately disappear when the trio arrives. And the finale lacks any kind of spunk as well.

Even with all these flaws, there are moments when the power of Schubert's conception really comes through, justifying the extra strings. There little beacons make me hope someone else takes up the cause and revises Kissine's orchestration to emphasize the orchestra, instead of the soloists. And, then, hopefully a seasoned conductor will give it the pointed, intense and beautiful performance this music deserves.