Composer: Luigi Cherubini, Gaetano Donizetti, Franz Joseph Haydn, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Maurice Ravel, Franz Peter Schubert, Robert Schumann, Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer: Quartetto Italiano
Number of Discs: 3
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Audite
Catalogue: AUDITE21456
Release: 2019
Size: 1.61 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
String Quartet No. 7 in F Minor
01. I. Agitatissimo
02. II. Adagio, ma non Troppo
03. III. Presto
04. IV. Marcia Lugubre
String Quartet No. 5 in F Major
05. I. Moderato assai – Presto
06. II. Adagio
07. III. Scherzo. Allegro non Troppo
08. IV. Finale. Allegro Vivace
String Quartet No. 4:
09. Allegro –
10. Allegro
CD 02
String Quartet No. 7 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 108
01. I. Allegretto
02. II. Lento
03. III. Allegro
String Quartet in F Major
04. I. Allegro Moderato
05. II. Assez vif. Très Rythmé
06. III. Très Lent
07. IV. Vif et Agité
String Quartet No. 8 in B-Flat Major, Op. 168 (D. 112)
08. I. Allegro ma non Troppo
09. II. Andante Sostenuto
10. III. Menuetto. Allegro
11. IV. Presto
CD 03
String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 41/2
01. I. Allegro Vivace
02. II. Andante, quasi Variazioni
03. III. Scherzo. Presto – Trio. L’istesso tempo – Coda
04. IV. Allegro molto Vivace
String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77/1 (Hob. III: 81)
05. I. Allegro Moderato
06. II. Adagio
07. III. Menuetto. Presto
08. IV. Finale. Presto
String Quartet No. 3 in A Major, Op. 41/3
09. I. Andante espressivo – Allegro molto Moderato
10. II. Assai Agitato
11. III. Adagio Molto
12. IV. Finale. Allegro molto Vivace
The ensemble’s confidently-chosen name made it clear from the outset that the Quartetto Italiano saw itself not simply as an Italian string quartet among many, but as the authoritative one. The ensemble was soon recognized as a pioneer of Italian chamber music culture following the Second World War. Through their tireless obsession with detail, in-depth exploration of the works’ musical expression, and the remarkable homogeneity of their quartet sound, the Quartetto Italiano conquered a firm place in the top league of leading string quartets over the first two decades of their career.
The first release of the complete productions realized by the Quartetto Italiano for Berlin’s RIAS between 1951 and 1963 highlights two aspects that the musicians would increasingly neglect in their later recordings: firstly, the focus on the music of their fellow countrymen, represented here in rarely-heard works by Gaetano Donizetti, Luigi Cherubini, and Gian Francesco Malipiero; and secondly, the enormous breadth of their repertoire, which ranged from Joseph Haydn, the father of the classical string quartet, to Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seventh String Quartet (brand new at the time of the recording). Three works on this release (Cherubini, Donizetti, and Shostakovich) can be heard performed by the Quartetto Italiano for the first time on CD.
This release forms part of our series “Legendary Recordings” and bears the stamp “1” Master Release”.