The sweet, silvery tone of the Wiener Oktett and the easy give-and-go of its phrasing helped establish it as one of the most distinguished of Viennese chamber ensembles. Its sound was that of the sublime Vienna Philharmonic in microcosm and the group enjoyed the advantage of Decca's top-of-the-range engineering. The most comprehensive collection of the Vienna Octet's albums ever issued, this set chronicles 25 years of recording, from shellac (July 1948) to stereo (November 1972).
LIMITED EDITION.
Decca signed an exclusive contract with the Wiener Oktett (Vienna Octet) in the summer of 1948 as a commercially motivated move: a sweetener to the deal that also poached the Philharmonic Orchestra from EMI. The ensemble had been formed only a year or so previously around the Boskovsky brothers, violinist Willi and clarinetist Alfred. Soon enough, audiences at home as well as in concert were enjoying the sound of a quintessentially Viennese ensemble, its members drawn from the ranks of the Philharmonic, in Classical-era music that could have been written for them, starting with the Septet by Beethoven and the Octet by Schubert.
The sweet, silvery tone of the Octet and the easy give-and-go of its phrasing established the Octet as the latest in a line of distinguished Viennese chamber ensembles, from the Rose Quartet of Mahler's era to the Barylli Quartet documented by the Westminster label. The Vienna Octet enjoyed the advantage of Decca's top-of-the-range engineering, and they continued to set down classic interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert through the course of the 1950s, for the new LP format and then for stereo.
In 1956 their Decca albums began to reflect the diversity of their concert programmes, with the Octet written for them by the Belgian composer Marcel Poot. While they continued to enjoy free-spirited partnerships on record with the likes of Clifford Curzon and the Viennese pianist Walter Panhofer in Schubert's 'Trout' Quintet, they also recorded lesser-known Romantics such as Spohr, Kreutzer and Berwald, and modern repertoire by Britten, Hindemith and Egon Wellesz.
By the time of the Vienna Octet's final recording in November 1972, only two members of its original lineup were left, including clarinettist Alfred Boskovsky, but critics and record buyers had continued to recognise that, especially in the central repertoire, an unselfconscious authenticity set the ensemble apart from its rivals.
"The modern Troyers and Schuppanzighs on Decca AK 2060-65 are a group who call themselves the Vienna Octet; and they bear the title with grace." Musical Times, February 1949 (Schubert: Octet, 1948 recording).
"The Grand Septet is quite a find, for its most important movements, the first and last, are excellent within their sphere of discreet style and modest inspiration… Seven members of the Vienna Octet give a performance that would have been worth recording for its own sake." Musical Times, January 1952 (Kreutzer, 1951 recording).
"A superlative performance, and the recording is in every way worthy of them." The Times, July 1953 (Spohr: Nonet).
"A wholly delightful recording." Musical Times, January 1959 (Schubert: Piano Quintet, 1957 recording).
"It is perfectly played… with slightly more alertness than in the 1955 version by the same group." The Times, July 1959 (Schubert: Octet, 1958 recording).
"The players of the Vienna Octet as usual turn in an excellent performance." High Fidelity, December 1965 (Mozart, Divertimento K.205, Cassation K.99).
"Technically a masterpiece, musically absorbing; superficial, no doubt, but enjoyable in its way - especially in this excellent performance. All members of the Vienna Octet on this record play with distinction." Musical Times, June 1968 (Spohr: Nonet, Double Quartet).
