All recordingsPrices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Dvorak & Smetana: String Quartets
In its valedictory release, the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet presents a pair of well loved chamber works offering a glimpse into the private world of two Czech composers. Antonín Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana – although they were sometimes regarded as musical opposites in their homeland – together they came to represent the quintessential sound of 19th-century Czech music. Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since it was founded 45 years ago. Performing over 100 concerts worldwide each season, the quartet has a devoted international following that includes the major capitals of the world and extends to all four corners of the globe. Officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the Tokyo String Quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. An exclusive collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon (more than 40 landmark recordings) firmly established it as one of the world’s leading quartets. The ensemble's recordingss for harmonia mundi USA have included an acclaimed cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets. Its most recent release was devoted to the Brahms Quintets Op. 34 (with Jon Nakamatsu, piano) and Op. 115 (with Jon Manasse, clarinet). “this is recommendable for fans of the Tokyo Quartet’s finely chiseled approach” International Record Review, May 2013 “Does the Tokyo’s superb playing of Dvorak’s “American” lack the authentic Czech bite?...the playing is so fine, the glow of the four Stradivarius instruments so beautiful, such doubts hardly register. What matters is that these musicians perform the music con amore. The tragic conclusion of the Smetana... is devastating.” Sunday Times, 12th May 2013 “In some ways, the Tokyo Quartet on this splendid recorded CD seem almost too relaxed at the start of the American...[They] respond rather better to the tragic drama of Smetana's From My Life Quartet. The opening of the first movement is as shocking as it should be and the subsidiary material is rich in sentiment.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 *** | 
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Smetana & Sibelius: String Quartets
BBC Music Magazine award winners the Dante Quartet return for their third Hyperion recording with the string quartets of Smetana and Sibelius. This group, renowned for their inventive interpretations and sensitive articulation, capture perfectly the expressive intensity of these masterpieces. Smetana’s Quartet No 1 in E minor is entitled ‘From my life’ and musically chronicles his youth, loves and vocation, culminating with the onset of his deafness. The turbulent second Quartet in D minor serves as a sequel to the first, continuing Smetana’s life story. The musical language is adventurous and unusual, speaking movingly of the composer’s loss of his hearing. Interestingly, Smetana and Sibelius, both renowned for their skilful dealing with symphonic forces poignantly turned to the intimacy of the string quartet form at specific points of crisis in their lives. Voces intimae is an intense precursor to Sibelius’s tormented fourth Symphony, written at a time of profound depression. These works give a unique insight into the private musical lives of their composers and are performed by the Dante Quartet with conviction and flawless technique. “Different they might be, but the three quartets on this programme share a quality of intimacy and soul-searching that the Dante captures poignantly and powerfully, not overstating the issue but finding a mode of expression that encapsulates shifts of mood...The fluctuations of darkness and light, the juxtapositions of animation and still reflection, are communicated here with palpable heart.” The Telegraph, 5th May 2011 **** “The members of the Dante Quartet...offer an intense, dynamic and fully committed version of Smetana's 'From My Life', seizing the air immediately, giving a dramatic, even orchestral account of it...These performances are superb - the Dante Quartet players really have the ability to bring music alive and sustain the listener through these examples of quartet repertoire that may still be finding homes.” International Record Review, May 2011 “The Dante Quartet has developed into a force to be reckoned with...Each player contributes bag-loads of personality, drawing out the chill winds of Sibelius and the earthy rhythms of Smetana's Czech polkas, against which the onset of the composer's hearing-loss - depicted by a high-pitched violin whine - is all too heart-rending.” Classic FM Magazine, July 2011 **** “there's no grand statement, or positivity here, and that's reinforced by the obsessive way that Sibelius turns around his limited material, and by the Dante Quartet's refusal to glamorise the music. Their tone remains lean, and they don't milk the dynamics...By the time of the Second Quartet, Smetana's final madness was almost upon him; the Dantes characterise its rapid mood with cold intensity.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 ***** “This is an imaginative grouping: three autobiographical, confessional string quartets from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [Smetana's] No. 2 is unrelievedly harrowing, written when he was a sick man, and sometimes dismissed as a failure. That is not how it sounds in this committed performance by the Dante, who also make the most of the soul-searching of Sibelius’s solitary quartet.” Sunday Times, 19th June 2011 *** “The Dante Quartet can scarcely be faulted in terms of passionate attack. Each performance is eloquent, intense and emotionally gripping...the urgency of all the fast movements is compelling.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2011  BBC Music Magazine
Chamber Choice - July 2011 |
| | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Smetana - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Smetana: Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
| |
|
| |  | The Bohemians Volume 2
| | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Dvorak, Suk & Smetana: String Quartets
The distinctive and passionate sound of Romantic Czech music is gloriously showcased in this new disc by the Sacconi Quartet. The new recording is released on the Quartetʼs own label, Sacconi Records. It contains works by three prodigious Bohemian composers all of whom were featured in the outstanding 2010 Sacconi Chamber Music Festival in Folkestone, entitled ʻTales of Bohemiaʼ. The Meditation on the Old Czech Hymn, Saint Wenceslas by Josef Suk is a largely undiscovered gem; a work of great power and presence. Suk, the student and later son-in-law of Antonín Dvořák, wrote the short, hauntingly beautiful piece at the outbreak of the First World War. Bedřich Smetanaʼs String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, From My Life is one of the great autobiographical works. Written at the end of the composerʼs life when he was completely deaf, it is a deeply personal work reflecting a life tinged with tragedy and sadness. The String Quartet No. 12 in F major, opus 96, American by Antonín Dvořák is a wonderful work full of soul as well as joyous themes. It is firmly established as one of the best-loved quartets in the repertoire. The Sacconi Quartet is one of the UK's leading string quartets. Since its formation at the Royal College of Music in 2001, it has established a secure and substantial reputation. The Quartet is recognised for its unanimous and compelling ensemble, performing with style and commitment and consistently communicating with a fresh and imaginative approach. Its four founder members demonstrate a shared passion for string quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy and enthusiasm. Over the past decade they have enjoyed a highly successful international career, performing regularly throughout Europe, at Londonʼs major venues, in recordings and radio broadcasts. “The Sacconi, a fast-rising British string quartet, bravely tackle Czech masterpieces recorded many times before, and bring something fresh and distinctive. Dvorák’s American Quartet has a light touch and springy rhythms that suit the music perfectly.” The Times, 25th June 2011 *** “This Czech programme suits the infectious bounce and fizz of the Sacconis, who bring Dvořák's songful "American" quartet to vivid life and drive along the dance-like second movement of Smetana's Quartet No 1 with an irrepressible swing. But it's not all party hats and streamers...the sensitive Sacconis bear solemn witness to [Smetana's] sorrowful journey into silence. Equally, they create a reverential stillness in Suk's Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn” The Observer, 3rd July 2011 “The Sacconi Quartet's performance, aided by a rich recorded sound, is ideal: quietly intense without resorting to sentimentality...There is clear relish for the American's abundant lyricism...their performance of the Scherzo captures its volatile ebb and flow delightfully, and the finale certainly has the requisite levels of energy.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Smetana: String Quartets
Smetana based his first quartet on experiences from his life. Already ravaged by severe illness he regarded his second quartet as a kind of musical testament, culminating in the last movement, entitled “Triumph over Fate”. Both quartets are deeply personal statements by the composer, and the interpretations of this music by the Bennewitz Quartet are genuinely moving. | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Smetana & Janacek - String Quartets
“This well-filled reissue sees the original Talich Quartet in blistering form. The performances of the Smetana Quartets are among the best that are available.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 ***** | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
|
|
| |  | Kocian Quartet play Sibelius & Smetana
| | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
|
|
| |  | A Tribute to Norbert BraininRare Recordings by Buckner, Smetana & Verdi
“Released as a tribute to the late Norbert Brainin, this generously filled set traverses repertory not normally associated with the Amadeus. They do not seem entirely at ease with the Tchaikovsky or Smetana, but their Bruckner is delivered with great affection and Viennese warmth.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2005 **** | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
|
|
| |
|
