ブラームス: 弦楽六重奏曲第1番、弦楽五重奏曲第2番

名門メロスのメンバーがゲスト参加 ヴェルディ・カルテットのブラームス
ヴェルディ四重奏団のブラームス・シリーズ第4弾。映画「恋人たち」をはじめ、第2楽章がたびたび使用されて有名な六重奏第1番に、イタリア旅行後特有の明るさが特徴で、晩年のブラームスが持てる精力を込めて書き上げた弦楽五重奏第2番という組み合わせ。前作(98.518)と合わせて、これで弦楽六重奏と弦楽五重奏がすべて揃います。このたびもまた名門メロス四重奏団(1965-2005)のメンバーふたりをゲストに迎えていることがポイント。作品を熟知するヴェテランの参加が、演奏にはかりしれない効果を生んでいます。 [コメント提供;キングインターナショナル]

It might seem odd that theres a German string quartet named after the great nineteenth century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi. And given the name, it might seem equally odd that the groups repertoire is predominantly Austro-Germanic in orientation. But as proven in its recording of Schuberts string quartets, the Verdi Quartet lives up to its name by turning in performances that are dramatic in conception and lyrical in execution, and as demonstrated in this disc coupling Brahms String Sextet in B flat major and String Quintet in G major, this interpretive strategy can also be applied to the chamber music of Brahms. But while the groups dramatic approach works well in the opening movements of both pieces, the remaining movements are arguably less successful. Part of the problem may be that, for all of its muscle and rhythmic drive, the Verdi Quartet lacks some cohesion and tonal clarity. When they push hard at the tempos in Brahms allegros, the results can be quite exciting. But when they push too hard in Brahms more intimate andantes and adagios, the results can be scrappy and sometimes even sloppy. Thus, while these performances are generally acceptable, there are too many other better recordings in the catalog to make the Verdi Quartets truly competitive. Hansslers digital sound is warm and clean, but a tad too close for the textures to bloom.