Notes and Editorial Reviews
Here’s a compilation that every lover of string quartet music—its sound and the sensuous, full-bodied playing style characteristic of the great 20th century string recitalists—will enjoy. The program consists entirely of arrangements—all except one are first recordings—by the Brodsky Quartet of works originally for violin and piano, voice and piano, piano solo, and in one case (Shostakovich’s “Waltz No. 2”) for orchestra, the group’s intention being to create fresh, relatively short, yet musically worthy encore pieces.
Most of the music will be familiar—Sarasate’s Zapateado; three of Elgar’s violin/piano parlor pieces; Dvorák’s Humoresque; Mendelssohn’s On Wings of Song; Schumann’s Träumerei; Debussy’s Beau soir;
Read more
Prokofiev’s “March” from The Love for Three Oranges; and many others—but the arrangements (most of them by Brodsky violist Paul Cassidy) bring them new life, in almost every case truly re-imagining the music for a quartet rather than just following a melody/accompaniment formula. Occasionally the arrangements include a piano, and in one of the disc’s highlights—Kreisler’s Caprice viennois—a viola joins the quartet.
The playing is first-rate, the interpretations, well, this group owns these pieces after all!, and the sound is very favorable to the music and the ensemble. Usually this kind of program amounts to an incompatible hodge-podge, drawn from various times and places; but this was recorded at one session, and the music is not just a collection of “show-off” pieces but rather offers something of substance as well, which not only will make you smile but will bring you back many times.
-- David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com
Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Spanish Dances (2) for Violin and Piano, Op. 23 by Pablo de Sarasate
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1880
Notes: The two pieces are titled "Playera" and "Zapateado".
2.
Canciones populares españolas (7): no 7, Polo by Manuel de Falla
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914-1915; Spain
3.
Canciones populares españolas (7): no 5, Nana by Manuel de Falla
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914-1915; Spain
4.
La capricieuse, Op. 17 by Sir Edward Elgar
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1891; England
5.
Chanson de nuit, Op. 15 no 1 by Sir Edward Elgar
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897; England
6.
Chanson de matin, Op. 15 no 2 by Sir Edward Elgar
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897; England
7.
Humoresque in F sharp major, B 138 by Antonín Dvorák
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1884
8.
Album für die Jugend, Op. 68: no 30, Molto lento by Robert Schumann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1848; Germany
9.
Caprice viennois, Op. 2 by Fritz Kreisler
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: Austria
10.
Songs (6), Op. 34: no 2, Auf Flügeln des Gesanges by Felix Mendelssohn
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1836; Germany
11.
Triakontameron: no 11, Alt Wien by Leopold Godowsky
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1920; USA
12.
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: no 7, Träumerei by Robert Schumann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838; Germany
13.
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: no 2, Curiose Geschichte by Robert Schumann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838; Germany
14.
Kinderszenen, Op. 15: no 1, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen by Robert Schumann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838; Germany
15.
Valses nobles et sentimentales: no 6 in C major, Vif by Maurice Ravel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1911; France
16.
Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major: 2nd movement, Blues by Maurice Ravel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1923-1927; France
17.
Love for Three Oranges: March, Op. 33b no 1 by Sergei Prokofiev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1922; Paris, France
18.
Suite for Jazz Orchestra no 2, Op. 50b: Waltz no 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1938
19.
Beau soir by Claude Debussy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Brodsky String Quartet
Period: 20th Century
Written: circa 1880; France
Sound Samples
Spanish Dances, Op. 23 (arr. P. Cassidy): Spanish Dances, Op. 23: No. 1. Playera (arr. P. Cassidy)
7 Canciones populares espanolas (arr. A. Haveron): No. 7. Polo
7 Canciones populares espanolas (arr. A. Haveron): No. 5. Nana
Spanish Dances, Op. 23 (arr. P. Cassidy): Spanish Dances, Op. 23: No. 2. Zapateado (arr. P. Cassidy)
Chanson de matin, Op. 15, No. 2 (arr. P. Cassidy)
La capricieuse, Op. 17 (arr. P. Cassidy)
Chanson de nuit, Op. 15, No. 1 (arr. P. Cassidy)
8 Humoresques, Op. 101, B. 187 (arr. P. Cassidy): 8 Humoresques, Op. 101, B. 187: No. 7. Poco lento e grazioso in G flat major (arr. P. Cassidy)
Album fur die Jugend (Album for the Young), Op. 68 (arr. P. Cassidy): Album fur die Jugend (Album for the Young), Op. 68: No. 30. Sehr langsam (arr. P. Cassidy)
Caprice viennois, Op. 2 (arr. P. Cassidy)
6 Gesang, Op. 34 (arr. P. Cassidy): 6 Gesang, Op. 34: No. 2. Auf Flugeln des Gesanges (On Wings of Song) (arr. P. Cassidy)
Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Measure (arr. P. Cassidy): Triakontameron, 30 Moods and Scenes in Triple Measure: No. 11. Alt-Wien (arr. P. Cassidy)
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 (arr. P. Cassidy): No. 1. Von fremden Landern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and People)
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 (arr. P. Cassidy): No. 2. Curiose Geschichte (A Strange Story)
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 (arr. P. Cassidy): No. 7. Traumerei (Dreaming)
Valses nobles et sentimentales (arr. P. Cassidy): Valses nobles et sentimentales: VI. Vif (arr. P. Cassidy)
Violin Sonata in G major (arr. P. Cassidy): Violin Sonata in G major: II. Blues (arr. P. Cassidy)
The Love for Three Oranges Suite, Op. 33bis (arr. A. Haveron): The Love for Three Oranges Suite, Op. 33bis: III. March (arr. A. Haveron)
5 Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano: No. 1. Prelude (arr. I. Belton)
Jazz Suite No. 2 (arr. J. Thomas): Jazz Suite No. 2: VII. Waltz No. 2 (arr. J. Thomas)
Beau soir (arr. P. Cassidy)
Customer Reviews
Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
