Quartetto Italiano

[mandryka]

The release of this new set has made me think I should revisit their recordings.

(Amazon link)

In fact I remember listening to a couple of things over the past few months. A very lyrical, almost operatic, op 131. And their Art of Fugue, which is expressive, but ruined by bad sound and vibrato big enough to drive a bus through.

By the way, the booklet for the RIAS set is good, and has some very evocative photos. Such style! Such class! (Of clothes, their way of posing . . . )

 

[Tony L]

Quartetto Italiano are superb IMO, I have this Complete Decca, Philip & DGG box which I landed back when it was about £65 IIRC. Really wonderful stuff and one of my most played classical sets.

 

[mandryka]

Yes this morning I listened to the first Schumann on Philips and it's very good: intense and serious and noble. They sing the music with their instruments like . . . Italians!

Where the recordings remastered for that box?

 

[Tony L]

Where the recordings remastered for that box?

No idea. IIRC some are there in their first digital version (some of the early mono stuff), but the mastering is certainly fine. It is a great sounding box and I’ve always liked their approach to things. My first exposure to them was the Webern which I have on vinyl and have never heard bettered. A lot in the box is my only version of that work, but the stuff where I have a couple of options, e.g. Beethoven (I have Tokyo Quartet on SACD), the Quartetto Italiano is my goto version. It is a shame it is so expensive at present. I remember it started at about £90, I kept an eye on it and snagged it when it got to £65 or thereabouts, I think from a marketplace seller.

PS Regarding their looks/aesthetic check out the Webern vinyl (Discogs) - they aren’t messing about there!

 

[Stunsworth]

I've always found their Philips recordings to be beautifully recorded.

 

[mandryka]

I’m now wondering whether I’ve picked up an amateur transfer of the Schumann.

I just found this on Qobuz and I’m listening to the op 41/3 as I type, it’s very good.

 

[mandryka]

PS Regarding their looks/aesthetic check out the Webern vinyl (Discogs) - they aren’t messing about there!

Yes, that’s a good pic. They’re not a quartet which smiles through their music.

A friend of mine tells a story about them. He says that he had a mate who worked on reception in the hotel in Amsterdam they used to use when they gave concerts there. They would come back straight away after each concert, totally exhausted from the sheer intense hard work of playing.

 

[Joe Hutch]

The release of this new set has made me think I should revisit their recordings.

(Amazon link)

In fact I remember listening to a couple of things over the past few months. A very lyrical, almost operatic, op 131. And their Art of Fugue, which is expressive, but ruined by bad sound and vibrato big enough to drive a bus through.

By the way, the booklet for the RIAS set is good, and has some very evocative photos. Such style! Such class! (Of clothes, their way of posing . . . )

Although it looks from that picture like all four of them are baffled by the sight of a violin.

 

[mandryka]

I enjoyed listening to Italiano play the Schumann quartets, the Philips studio recordings. Anyway today I listened to the Vogler quartet play the first of the three and it showed up the strengths and weaknesses of the Italiano in this quartet at least. Strength: they’re serious and lyrical. Weakness: they’re serious and lyrical. Anyway, Vogler well worth hearing as an Italiano contrast and antidote

These quartets seem very good music to me, Schumann is generally seriously underrated in the higher opus numbers I think.