Impressive debut album, 2009-04-19Impressive debut album
I saw the Minetti Quartett live last month (March 2009) and picked up this disc after the concert.
This young quartet, formed in 2003, combines technical brilliance with emotional sensitivity and a maturity that belies their age (the oldest member, Markus Huber, viola, was born in 1979; the youngest, Leonhard Roczek, cello, in 1983; Anna Knopp and Maria Ehmer, both violin, were born in 1982).
In the concert, the seating arrangement for the Haydn quartet they performed, op 64 no 4, was, from left to right: Violin 1, Cello, Viola, Violin 2 - and they use the same set-up on this recording, which I think works very well: the violins are thus separated and each is allowed to shine and communicate, with the cello and the viola filling out the space in the middle nicely.
The recorded sound is full, round, warm, clear - in short, superb, and with a distinct sense of space. I have made a movement-by-movement comparison of op 74 no 3 with the recording of the mighty Kodaly Quartet and I find both the playing and the sound quality more attractive on the Minetti Quartett's disc (not that there is anything wrong with the Kodalys). The Minettis explore the depths of this music more thoroughly by, for example, accentuating the pauses (in the first movement), which creates a more dramatic effect without being overdone. There is also more zest in their playing, when it's called for, as in the famous last movement, which gives the quartet its nickname 'The Rider'. The galloping rhythms are brought out very well. The cello is especially excellent in this section, accompanying the virtuosic violin. On the whole the cello player, Mr Roczek, produces a very appealing sound - mellow, succinct and very warm. It goes for the whole quartet, there are no shortcomings here.
Neither is there, on this disc, any 'performance noise', which so often disfigures quartet playing - no audible exhalations, no scraping bows, no flapping strings. It is indeed a fully professional production.
The selection of quartets, op 64 no 4, op 74 no 3, and op 76 no 5, provides both a good introduction to Haydn, if you are new to him and his string quartets (of which he produced some eighty: where do you start?) and, I would imagine, a very enjoyable experience also for the listener who is familiar with this great composer's work.
The Minetti Quartett (who spells their name with two t's at the end) has an excellent web site (write their name as one word and add dot at) with information on tour schedules etc. Catch them if you can. In the concert I attended, they produced convincing interpretations of works by Berg, Webern and Schubert, as well as Haydn. And if you can't see them live, this disc is an excellent way of enjoying their artistry. I suspect that we will hear a lot more of these fine players. I am certainly looking forward to it.
Reviewed By A1JFCWZ2R8USX1I saw the Minetti Quartett live last month (March 2009) and picked up this disc after the concert.
This young quartet, formed in 2003, combines technical brilliance with emotional sensitivity and a maturity that belies their age (the oldest member, Markus Huber, viola, was born in 1979; the youngest, Leonhard Roczek, cello, in 1983; Anna Knopp and Maria Ehmer, both violin, were born in 1982).
In the concert, the seating arrangement for the Haydn quartet they performed, op 64 no 4, was, from left to right: Violin 1, Cello, Viola, Violin 2 - and they use the same set-up on this recording, which I think works very well: the violins are thus separated and each is allowed to shine and communicate, with the cello and the viola filling out the space in the middle nicely.
The recorded sound is full, round, warm, clear - in short, superb, and with a distinct sense of space. I have made a movement-by-movement comparison of op 74 no 3 with the recording of the mighty Kodaly Quartet and I find both the playing and the sound quality more attractive on the Minetti Quartett's disc (not that there is anything wrong with the Kodalys). The Minettis explore the depths of this music more thoroughly by, for example, accentuating the pauses (in the first movement), which creates a more dramatic effect without being overdone. There is also more zest in their playing, when it's called for, as in the famous last movement, which gives the quartet its nickname 'The Rider'. The galloping rhythms are brought out very well. The cello is especially excellent in this section, accompanying the virtuosic violin. On the whole the cello player, Mr Roczek, produces a very appealing sound - mellow, succinct and very warm. It goes for the whole quartet, there are no shortcomings here.
Neither is there, on this disc, any 'performance noise', which so often disfigures quartet playing - no audible exhalations, no scraping bows, no flapping strings. It is indeed a fully professional production.
The selection of quartets, op 64 no 4, op 74 no 3, and op 76 no 5, provides both a good introduction to Haydn, if you are new to him and his string quartets (of which he produced some eighty: where do you start?) and, I would imagine, a very enjoyable experience also for the listener who is familiar with this great composer's work.
The Minetti Quartett (who spells their name with two t's at the end) has an excellent web site (write their name as one word and add dot at) with information on tour schedules etc. Catch them if you can. In the concert I attended, they produced convincing interpretations of works by Berg, Webern and Schubert, as well as Haydn. And if you can't see them live, this disc is an excellent way of enjoying their artistry. I suspect that we will hear a lot more of these fine players. I am certainly looking forward to it.
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