Schubert - String Quartet 14 [Tokyo String Quartet] 

It's been a while since i listened to Schubert's 14th, late last year in November, i can't believe i haven't listened to this work for over six months, so it was so good to re-acquaint myself with this, and this actual disc was played way back at the start of my Blog last January [5th January 2010], i really like the Tokyo String Quartet, they sound 'sweet' in Beethoven, but here's an angry / sour work [in D Minor], that challenges that sweetness, i tremendously enjoyed this today.

The Tokyo String Quartet have over 40 years experience together, even though only two original members remain, they recorded this disc in 1989, the front cover is a nice group shot of the Quartet [by Christian Steiner], lovely browns / oranges of the instruments.

The first two movements of this Quartet are tremendous, the first is dark and brooding, the second which is my favourite, is a set of variations on the theme of a Schubert song 'Death And The Maiden', and here Schubert is in top inventive form, even more inspired than his Trout Piano Quintet [another one of his song inspirations], this theme and five variations explore almost every facet of the String Quartet medium, so here's a synopsis of each variation,

Theme [0:00-2:15], a solemn and sad lament, played to a funeral march rhythm, soft and gentle at first [though sour], but dark ominous undercurrents are flowing beneath, which will come to the fore in certain variations.
Variation 1 [2:16-4:15], explores the more agitated side to the String Quartet medium, with the first violin singing the solo line, while the rest of the Quartet supply the staccato bowed rhythm, or the pizzicato bass line, there's a lovely sense of greater agitation in the second half, the violin ends up fairly distressed.
Variation 2 [4:16-6:31], the cello / viola take over the main melody line, and the whole thing really does end up fairly desperate and sour, a real gushing of woes.
Variation 3 [6:32-8:22], variation 3 is my favourite, this really does have those forte dark rhythms, dark and menacing, very hard driven at times, it constantly fluctuates between heavy and softer, superb rhythms, especially in the second half [7:44+], pure exhilaration. 
Variation 4 [8:23-11:05], as a change of pace, a very easy going lighter, and sweeter variation, delicate in many ways, and easily the longest variation.
Variation 5 [11:06-12:50], but the dark undercurrent return, gently at first, but eventually with more menace, and then reverting back to a gentleness as at the start.
Coda / Finale [12:52-14:06], not really a finale as such, more coda-esque, and ending in acceptance, with the maiden sleeping peacefully in the arms of death, a satisfying ending.

Here's the Shanghai Quartet playing the second movement on YouTube.

Rossini - Opera Overtures [Chailly-National Philharmonic Orchestra] 

I'm not a fan of Rossini's Operas, i think he has an overblown showy style, all virtuoso glitter and no substance, so take away his Operas, and what have you got left?, next to nothing, but he has one redeeming feature which makes me love him, his excellent Overtures, while say Verdi's Operas have a phenomenal lot more substance to them, yet he was poor-ish on the Overtures, Rossini creates here a set of 'rhythms & gears', he's the master of the Overture [along with Beethoven] as Strauss was of the Waltz, and it's good to have a double disc set of 14 Overtures, rather than the usual half dozen that you seem to get on every disc, with two discs Chailly ends up exploring some of the lesser known Overtures, and it's surprising that there's gems to be found everywhere, no filler on these discs!.

Riccaro Chailly is an Italian Conductor, born in 1953, these two discs are actually two separate issues, the first recorded in 1981, and the second in 1984, the front cover on this excellent Double Decca issue is a painting called 'The First Shot To Freedom' by William Shakespeare Burton. 

And it's the first disc which i found the most joy with [and which i listened to first], and the three Overtures which were especially exhilarating were 3 & 5-6, so it was good to hear this third Overture 'Il Viaggio A Reims' [The Journey To Reims], an Overture it was nice to acquaint myself with, as i don't know it very well, it starts off like a fair number of Rossini's Overtures, a good fanfare, and then some rather introductory music, and yet you just know Rossini, that he's building up to something with tremendous rhythms, there's a serenading oboe solo [1:05-1:34], and the flute also plays this selfsame solo tune [1:55-2:21], it takes Rossini three minutes before one of his simple waltz tunes come in [2:57+], and even then it takes times to build up into a complex motor rhythm, with lots of gears and levels, with bubbly woodwind [4:13-4:34], and then a lovely magic starts [4:34+], with a new bubbling rhythm, and this all starts again [5:51+], the last 3 minutes are superb, an Overture well worth getting to know.

Here's Peter Maag conducting the Overture to 'Il Turco In Italia' on YouTube.

Chopin - 27 Etudes [Berezovsky] 

Berezovsky is brilliant, a true virtuoso, i watched him recently on YouTube, playing Liszt's Trancendental Etudes live, one after another, the sweat pouring off him by the end, very thrilling, i have many sets of Chopin's Etudes, this is actually my second favourite [my first is by Louis Lorte for Chandos], this was a thrilling experience listening to these 27 Etudes today.

Boris Berezovsky is Russian, born in 1969, now 42 years old, he recorded this disc 1991 when he was 22, this disc is now re-issued as an Apex on Teldec, but with a really rubbish cover, this one i scanned here is tremendous, the picture shows Berezovsky in a dark double breasted suit [photo by Susesch Bayat], light blue background, i like the way Teldec use the red pocket handkerchief as the colour code in the lettering, Berezovsky's pose and smile are great, you can see his youthfulness.

The Etudes i really loved on this listen were 1, 4-5, 7-10, 12-13, 16, 18, 21, 23-24 & 27, and it's number 12 [Op10 / 12] that i just thought was pure wizardry, the left hand plays the bass, with legato up and down runs, and the right hand plays the main treble melody, very staccato, written in C Minor and nicknamed the 'Revolutionary Etude' [not by Chopin], it shares the key with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which also has a profoundly revolutionary opening, the right hand is very agitated, the left comes in waves, of speed, volume, and constantly rolling from bass to treble and backs, you can hear the extra anguish and cry from the right hand [0:43-0:50], and also a little later those two hard hitting treble outbursts [1:07 & 1:11], and the solo left hand cascade down the keyboard [1:22-1:30], starting high and loud in the treble, but descending down low into the grumbling bass, i just love that clangy major / sweeter sounding legato outburst in the right hand [1:40], and when the piece quietens down near the end, and the left hand has deep upkeyboard run from deep in the bass [2:19-2:27] and back again, the final ouburst starts off great [2:37-2:47], but Berezovsky could have made it a bit more emphatic with a finality to it, instead it dies quite a soft death, instead of screaming in agony!, it's such a great Etude, i listened to this again and again while writing this.

Here's Boris Berezovsky playing the Revolutionary Etude [Op10 / 12] on YouTube.