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Britten: The Music for String Quartet / Emperor Quartet
BIS

Britten: The Music for String Quartet / Emperor Quartet

$39.99

Details

Composer
Benjamin Britten
Artist
Emperor Quartet
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Jul 01, 2022
Catalog #
BIS-2640
UPC
7318599926407

About

Between 2010 and 2014, the British Emperor Quartet released the three discs gathered here, with all of Benjamin Britten’s published music for string quartet – as well as his one work for string quintet, the Phantasy in F minor. Their performances of the three numbered quartets, undisputed masterpieces of 20th-century chamber music, were variously described by the critics as ‘stupendous’ (Classic FM Magazine), ‘a wonderful homage’ (Ensemble), and ‘a complete cosmos of colors and nuances’ (Fono Forum), and the discs received top marks and distinctions in magazines such as Fanfare, Diapason and International Record Review.

Britten wrote his String Quartets Nos 1, 2 and 3 in 1941, 1945 and 1975 respectively, but his natural facility in writing for strings was evident from a very early age. The Emperor’s set includes a number of youthful works, from the String Quartet in F, by a fourteen-year old schoolboy, to Simple Symphony, composed in 1934 and the work which may be regarded as his breakthrough. The box set includes the original booklets, with insightful liner notes by Britten specialist Arnold Whittall.

REVIEW:

The Emperors bring energy, commitment, real understanding of the idiom and finesse to all these works. Perhaps they are more at home with the early works than with the final quartet, but that is a strange and hermetic work, and I found their performance compelling enough.

-- MusicWeb International

These remarkable recordings of Britten’s elusive string quartets have appeared before, but are very welcome in this compilation, giving listeners the chance to appraise a lesser-known aspect of Britten’s compositional genius. The Emperor Quartet have the full measure of the pieces.

-- Classical CD Choice

Tracklist 36 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Allegro calmo senza rigore 08:32
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro calmo senza rigore
    Duration
    08:32
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  3. 2 II. Vivace 03:30
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Vivace
    Duration
    03:30
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  4. 3 III. Chacony: Sostenuto 18:46
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Chacony: Sostenuto
    Duration
    18:46
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  5. 4 No. 1. March: Allegro maestoso 03:41
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 1. March: Allegro maestoso
    Duration
    03:41
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  6. 5 No. 2. Waltz: Allegretto 03:09
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 2. Waltz: Allegretto
    Duration
    03:09
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  7. 6 No. 3. Burlesque: Presto 03:18
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 3. Burlesque: Presto
    Duration
    03:18
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  8. 7 I. Novelette 02:55
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Novelette
    Duration
    02:55
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  9. 8 II. Menuetto 03:05
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Menuetto
    Duration
    03:05
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  10. 9 III. Romanza 01:56
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Romanza
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  11. 10 IV. Gavotte 02:02
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. Gavotte
    Duration
    02:02
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  12. 11 I. Allegro maestoso - 08:54
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Allegro maestoso -
    Duration
    08:54
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  13. 12 II. Lento ed espressivo - 05:26
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Lento ed espressivo -
    Duration
    05:26
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  14. 13 III. Allegro giocoso 04:48
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Allegro giocoso
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  15. Disc 2
  16. 1 I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo 08:30
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo
    Duration
    08:30
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  17. 2 II. Allegretto con slancio 02:56
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allegretto con slancio
    Duration
    02:56
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  18. 3 III. Andante calmo 10:12
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Andante calmo
    Duration
    10:12
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  19. 4 IV. Molto vivace 03:42
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Molto vivace
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  20. 5 Alla marcia 03:08
    Track
    5
    Title
    Alla marcia
    Duration
    03:08
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  21. 6 I. Duets: With moderate movement 05:21
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Duets: With moderate movement
    Duration
    05:21
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  22. 7 II. Ostinato: Very fast 03:03
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Ostinato: Very fast
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  23. 8 III. Solo: Very calm - Lively 05:33
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Solo: Very calm - Lively
    Duration
    05:33
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  24. 9 IV. Burlesque: Fast 02:11
    Track
    9
    Title
    IV. Burlesque: Fast
    Duration
    02:11
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  25. 10 V. Recitative and passacaglia (La serenissima): Slow 09:18
    Track
    10
    Title
    V. Recitative and passacaglia (La serenissima): Slow
    Duration
    09:18
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  26. Disc 3
  27. 1 I. Boisterous Bourrée 02:51
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Boisterous Bourrée
    Duration
    02:51
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  28. 2 II. Playful Pizzicato 03:10
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Playful Pizzicato
    Duration
    03:10
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  29. 3 III. Sentimental Sarabande 06:40
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Sentimental Sarabande
    Duration
    06:40
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  30. 4 IV. Frolicsome Finale 02:53
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Frolicsome Finale
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  31. 5 Rhapsody 07:26
    Track
    5
    Title
    Rhapsody
    Duration
    07:26
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  32. 6 I. Andante - 06:19
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Andante -
    Duration
    06:19
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  33. 7 II. Poco adagio ma con moto 06:34
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Poco adagio ma con moto
    Duration
    06:34
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  34. 8 III. Allegro molto vivace 03:22
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Allegro molto vivace
    Duration
    03:22
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  35. 9 Phantasy for String Quintet in F Minor 11:02
    Track
    9
    Title
    Phantasy for String Quintet in F Minor
    Duration
    11:02
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Performer
    John Metcalfe
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  36. 10 I. Allegro vivace e con brio 08:37
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Allegro vivace e con brio
    Duration
    08:37
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  37. 11 II. Andante 02:53
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  38. 12 III. Allegro vivace 04:24
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Allegro vivace
    Duration
    04:24
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet
  39. 13 IV. Allegro molto 06:18
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    06:18
    Composer
    Benjamin Britten
    Ensemble
    Emperor Quartet