Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

On this CD:

1. String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by James Dunham, Robert Martin, Yoko Matsuda, Sequoia String Quartet, Miwako Watanabe
Conducted by Keith Hilzman

2. String Quartet No. 2 in F major ("Kabardinian"), Op. 92
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by James Dunham, Robert Martin, Yoko Matsuda, Sequoia String Quartet, Miwako Watanabe

Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2, Music, Robert Martin, Sergey Prokofiev, Keith Hilzman, Sequoia String Quartet, James Dunham, Miwako Watanabe, Yoko Matsuda, Chamber, Classical, Classical Music, Quartet for Four String Instruments

Average customer rating:

Beautifully Played Prokofiev Quartets

Ignor the Ignor Recommendation, Read both the good and the bad!

Bottom-drawer Prokofiev, pleasantly played

Very good, if a bit too polished

20th-Century Chamber Music Unafraid of Charm

Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Sonata for 2 Violins

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GF2
Release Date: 1992-04-14

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 50: 1. Allegro
String Quartet No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 50: 2. Andante Molto - Vivace
String Quartet No. 1 In B Minor, Op. 50: 3. Andante
Sonata for 2 Violins in C Major, Op. 56: 1. Andante Cantabile
Sonata for 2 Violins in C Major, Op. 56: 2. Allegro
Sonata for 2 Violins in C Major, Op. 56: 3. Commodo (quasi Allegretto)
Sonata for 2 Violins in C Major, Op. 56: 4. Allegro con Brio
String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 92: 1. Allegro sostenuto
String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 92: 2. Adagio
String Quartet No. 2 In F Major, Op. 92: 3. Allegro - Andante Molto - Quasi Allegro I, ma un Poco pinquilo - Allegro I

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully Played Prokofiev Quartets.......2007-03-10

Serge Prokofiev does not come to mind as a string quartet writer but his two attempts in that form are interesting and engaging works. The First Quartet was written on a commission from the Library of Congress for their chamber music concerts in 1930. The quartet became the last work of Prokofiev to be premiered in the West.

Both of the Quartets are in three movements. The First Quartet is characterized by catchy melodies and quick tempi in the first two movements concluded with an introspective Andante that remains inward looking until the quartet quietly concludes. The Sonata for Two Violins, from 1932, is cast in four short movements and is more typically caustic for Prokofiev that the First Quartet. After a brief and quiet introduction, the violins engage in a sharp exchange in the second movement. The third movement returns to the introspection of the first and the Allegro con brio finale is a happy duel between the violinists that becomes more lyrical.

Prokofiev's final quartet was written in 1941 after he had been evacuated during the Second World War. The Second Quartet was based on Caucasian melodies. The quartet is simply written and appealing. The first movement has some beautiful melodious and the second, an Adagio, is wonderfully animated particularly in the play of instruments in the pizzicato section. The final movement is based on a dance tune that brings the quartet to a brilliant conclusion.

The Emerson Quartet plays the Sonata and the Quartets beautifully and while these may not be among the best of Prokofiev's works they are richly textured and melodic. The recording is nicely balance and clear. An interesting disc if you are interested in Prokofiev and string quartets.

Ignor the Ignor Recommendation, Read both the good and the bad!.......2006-08-01

As one reviewer put it, Prokofiev didn't successfully transfer his idiom to chamber music. None the less, we do have these works, and they are indeed worth listening to and even worth owning. Some discerning listeners will be hard pressed to hear Prokofiev throughout these works, but will be pleased to know that Prokofiev does indeed shine through on many occasions as well. Perhaps this review should be titled, "The Path Not Taken," instead of a mere sharpshooting of Prokofiev's sharpshooters.

I'm not certain just where the criticism lies: Prokofiev probably will not go down in history as a "major" composer the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, etc., but certainly will do well. Perhaps it is because he wrote a lot of boring music for boring films. (But some people love Nevsky and Kije.) Perhaps it is because he wrote a lot of concertos that are over played by undertalented musicians in the concert hall. I just don't know.

What I do know is that I enjoy listening to this performance of the String Quartets and the Sonata for 2 violins given to us by the Emerson String Quartet. While I don't come back to these as often as I do other chamber works, I still come back to these often enough to recommend them to those who like Prokofiev and chamber music. He wrote so little of it. Enjoy what there is.

Bottom-drawer Prokofiev, pleasantly played.......2005-10-05

Bad reviews aren't popular at Amazon, but the good reviews of this CD are misleading. Prokofiev did not successfully translate his idiom to the string quartet, and these two works are generally considered glib failures of imaginaiton as well. Prokfiev's idiom depended on several things that are absent here: soaring, sweet string lines, motor rhythms backed up by strong percussion, tunefulness, and often a folkloric foundation.

These quartets contain a bit of his idiom, but there's no message. They are too timid and faceless. One can tell that they're by Prokofiev, but comparisons with Bartok, Schonberg, or Shostakovich are wishful thinking.

Very good, if a bit too polished.......2005-09-09

Like all performance recordings produced by the Emerson Quartet, this recording of two unjustly neglected masterpieces gives great value for money. The fly in the ointment is that, for my money, the Emerson Quartet is almost too technically polished, and a bit emotionally detached. In both quartets, I have the sense a deeper vein remains unmined by these interpretations. I'd recommend anyone interested in this repetoire check out the less expensive recording on the Naxos label, performed by the less-well known Aurora String Quartet. That recording also features a superb performance of Prokofiev's Cello Sonata, Op.119 by the principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Grebanier.

20th-Century Chamber Music Unafraid of Charm.......2002-07-11

The twentieth century in Western music did not know quite what to do with Prokofiev, and so, it largely ignored him.

Yet, it is clear that he was one of the century's pre-eminent composers, a master, and to ignore him ultimately reflects worse on those who overlooked him. Like Sibelius, Prokofiev both drew great draughts from the well of Tradition, and yet clearly spoke with his own voice. The gigantic stature of these two composers, together, is not quite convenient to the `musical progressivists,' who would maintain (a little naively, and quite inartistically) that greatness in Art is contingent upon some notion of "progress."

Prokofiev had the further disadvantage of following Stravinsky's astonishingly strong lead; he essentially followed Stravinsky to Paris, trying similarly to make his name via Dyagilev's Saisons russes. But (among other factors) a string of misfirings with Dyagilev's company, and that small matter of Prokofiev having a musical personality of his own (rather than being a clone of Stravinsky who, all question of his undeniable greatness aside, could practically do no wrong so far as the French were concerned), made Prokofiev's going slow, as he sought to establish himself outside of Russia.

Prokofiev was not Schoenberg or Bartók, either; and these two well-wrought string quartets have unfairly been given short shrift for their obvious dissimilarity against the monumental output of the Austrian and the Hungarian in the medium of the string quartet. (The tone of Prokofiev's work is perfectly distinct from Bartók's, even where the former uses folk materials, as in the second quartet.) But, as with Prokofiev's marvelous pair of Violin Sonatas, these two quartets are masterfully constructed, brilliantly conceived for the instruments and ensemble - in short, they are perfect musical statements, and everything that Prokofiev had to say musically, he said with grace and charm, whether writing for the symphony orchestra, or for piano solo, or for any chamber combination in between.

Tracks:

String Quartet No.1: Allegro
String Quartet No.1: Andante molto
String Quartet No.1: Andante
String Quartet No.2: Allegro sostenuto
String Quartet No.2: Adagio
String Quartet No.2: Allegro
Cello Sonata: Andante grave
Cello Sonata: Moderato
Cello Sonata: Allegro ma non troppo

Amazon.com

This is but one of several Naxos releases that show how far the label has come in audiophile terms over the past couple of years. The account of the Cello Sonata by Grebanier and Guggenheim is particularly bracing; the piece was written with the formidable talents of Mstislav Rostropovich in mind, but Grebanier, undaunted, swallows it whole. Those familiar with his work as principal cello of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra will not be surprised. The warmth and richness of his tone, especially in the lower octave, can actually be felt on this disc, which preserves equally brilliant performances of the two quartets. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Great recording of under-rated pieces at astonishing value.......2003-08-03

This CD is a true gem. Prokofiev's Cello Sonata is one of the finest pieces in the instrument's repitoir and a true masterpiece by the composer himself, if somewhat uncharacteristic of his chamber work. The string quartets themselves are true Prokofiev chamber work and very good to the listener. These are pieces rarely seen that deserve far more attention from both enthusiasts and casual listeners alike. For the price this CD can not be beaten.

The two string quartets presented here are vintage Prokofiev chamber works. The string quartet section of the recording is not as amazing a recording as it could be, but its still quite impressive. It begins somewhat roughly, taking a moment to adjust to if one hasn't heard the recording before. The quartet pieces aren't as tonally tame as Bach or Beethoven but are still quite beautiful and don't demand overly much of the listener. Both contemporary and rigidly classical fans can appreciate these oustanding pieces.

The Cello Sonata in C Major is worth the entire purchase in and of itself. The recording is of absolutely amazing quality, the solo cellist having an excellent idea of both the command and emotive requirement of the piece. The cello sonata is Prokofiev at his most romantic, giving way to long melodious passages written perfectly for the sonority of the instrument. Prokofiev's tell-tale irony and sarcasm are also present in the works later movements and the cello part requires an arsenal of bowing and pizzicato techniques - while still remaining one of the most beautiful, smoothly lyrical prokofiev chamber works available.

For the price, there is absolutely no reason not to buy this CD whether you are a fan of Prokofiev, the string quartet, and most certainly for any cello lover.

A Wonderful Bargain.......2001-12-02

The string quartets offer another delightful facet of versatile Prokofiev, and the cello sonata is very moving. All the playing is superb. You can't go wrong with this one.

Average customer rating:

Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Average customer rating:

Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
violin Levon Chilingirian , cello Philip de Groote , Sergey Prokofiev , Chilingirian Quartet , viola Louise Williams , and violin Mark Butler
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Music Review: